SACRAMENTO – The Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety (Energy Safety) today released its draft approval of LS Power’s 2026-2028 Wildfire Mitigation Base Plan. Release of the plan initiates a 30-day public comment period.
LS Power is an independent transmission-only operator with no end-use customers working toward delivering power. In its 2026-2028 Base WMP, LS Power demonstrated foresight in conducting a wildfire risk assessment ahead of its system expansion. LS Power is transitioning from a qualitative risk assessment to a quantitative risk modeling capability. This transition represented meaningful progress in LS Power’s ability to systematically evaluate wildfire risk and reflected a proactive effort to align its practices with broader utility risk modeling standards.
LS Power also has areas where it needs to improve. The implementation of a high fire-threat district (HFTD) training program is scheduled after energization of the Fern Road Substation, which is LS Power’s highest risk-asset, creating a gap in workforce readiness. Vegetation inspection planning remains incomplete, with inconsistent inspection intervals and no finalized procedures for transmission lines in California. Energy Safety expects LS Power to address these gaps to ensure compliance and operational readiness.