Wildfire Safety

System Capacity: The maximum power capability of a system. For example, a utility system might have a rated capacity of 5000 megawatts, or might sell 50 megawatts of capacity.
Equipment Capacity: The maximum power capability of piece of equipment. For example, a generating unit might have a rated capacity of 50 megawatts.

Fire Risk In The Bow Valley

We have identified the Bow Valley to be one of the high-risk fire areas within our service territory. To minimize wildfire risk in the Bow Valley, we are reinforcing our assets in the area, which includes our 551L Transmission Line that runs through Banff National Park. You can learn more about our new safety measures and system enhancements here.

PUBLIC SAFETY POWER SHUT-OFF (PSPS) CRITERIA FOR THE BOW VALLEY

As the Bow Valley is at a higher risk for fast-spreading wildfires, we are establishing a new fire prevention measure called a Public Safety Power Shut-off. This would mean proactively shutting off the power during extreme and dangerous weather conditions that can result in catastrophic wildfires. This would be a preventative last resort measure.

The trigger for a PSPS in the Bow Valley would be if the Fire Weather Index (FWI) reaches 60 and wind speeds exceed 70 km/h. There have been no exceedances in the Bow Valley in the last 20 years that would have initiated a PSPS.

Banff, Lake Louise, and areas in between would be affected by a PSPS. You can see the maps of the potentially affected areas below and click on them to make them larger.