In its 2026-2028 Base WMP, SCE is continuing to evaluate circuits to reduce PSPS risk and has conducted new analyses to target more circuits. SCE also improved its grid hardening and vegetation management strategies and leads in Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter (REFCL) deployment and asset inspections. SCE is reducing wildfire risk in high wind conditions through three types of remediation to reduce conductor clashing on its long spans. SCE is also mitigating the risk of aging assets by identifying spans and splices that could cause outages.  

There are areas where SCE must improve including the refinement of its risk models and how SCE calculates risk variables. These improvements include greater explanation about SCE’s line removal activities in areas with the highest fire threat, particularly for lines that are de-energized but could come into contact with energized lines, detail into certain types of its fast curve settings, better coordination with Bear Valley Electric Service on an interconnected power line infrastructure, and more proactive pole inspections and activity tracking. 

Energy Safety’s initial audit found that BVES was deficient in providing documentation for completed work in seven of 13 vegetation management initiatives (vegetation management Inspections, pole clearing, clearance, high-risk species, quality assurance and quality control, open work orders, workforce planning). However, in its corrective action plan, BVES provided additional data, clarifications, and corrective actions to address the seven deficient vegetation management initiatives. In addition, BVES demonstrated that all 13 vegetation management initiatives from its 2023-2025 WMP were implemented successfully for program year 2024 and no further action is necessary. 

In its 2026-2028 Base WMP, SDG&E continued to refine its mitigation activities and reduce its wildfire risk by setting specific targets for its initiatives. In addition, SDG&E has evaluated the grounding configurations and impacts on fault current magnitudes of its three idle transmission lines. These leading efforts demonstrate SDG&E is making continued progress in its wildfire mitigation plan.  

However, SDG&E also has areas for continued improvement, including a grid hardening project where the top risk area and versions of its risk modeling are not fully addressed. SDG&E needs to improve its risk models so that the transmission level modeling is included. Energy Safety expects SDG&E to further enhance its mitigation strategy and decision-making process to continually reduce its wildfire risk. 

Energy Safety does not set or approve the actual salaries for electrical corporation executives. The executive incentive compensation structures of the four electrical corporations meet the statutory criteria, which are intended to promote and incentivize public safety as a priority and to ensure the utility’s financial stability.

Electrical corporations are statutorily required (Pub. Util. Code § 8389(e)(4))(Pub. Util. Code § 8389(e)(6)) to have an executive incentive compensation structure that meets specific criteria to be eligible for the safety certification process, now known as certificate process.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Energy Safety has approved executive incentive compensation structures for electric corporations seeking a certificate.

An electrical corporation with an approved executive incentive compensation structure satisfies two of seven criteria required to be eligible for an annual certificate. An electrical corporation with a certificate is presumed to have acted reasonably in proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to recover costs of a utility-caused wildfire.

Energy Safety’s Performance Guidelines provide definitions and establish standards that electrical corporations must follow in the implementation of their Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs).

For more information visit Energy Safety’s Compliance Guidelines Docket.

The Board reviews WMPs submitted by the POUs and electrical cooperatives and provides comments and advisory opinions to improve wildfire mitigation efforts. The Board also serves as a forum for the public to provide input on wildfire safety activities.

Each year, WSAB focuses its advisory opinions on areas of importance for the WMPs of the state’s 51 publicly owned utilities and electrical cooperatives. Risk identification and preemptive de-energization are the focus areas for the 2025 advisory opinions. Identifying and prioritizing wildfire risk is the foundation for reducing that risk. Preemptive de-energization is an important tool that utilities may employ to reduce wildfire risk. Preemptive de-energization plans can help utilities make decisions and reduce the impacts of a de-energization.

The Board also adopted a new schedule for POUs and electrical cooperatives to follow in submitting their WMPs. Under a new law, POUs and electrical cooperatives must submit plans at least once every four years, on a schedule determined by the Board. The new schedule sets forth considerations for differences in reporting frequency, rotating submissions, and opportunities for early collaborative exchanges for WMP submissions from 2026 to 2029.

More information can be found on the Board’s Publicly Owned Utilities docket log.

In its 2026-2028 Base WMP, SDG&E has continued to refine its mitigation activities and reduce its wildfire risk by setting specific targets for its initiatives. However, SDG&E also has areas for continued improvement, including a grid hardening project where the top risk area and versions of its risk modeling are not fully addressed. Energy Safety expects SDG&E to further enhance its mitigation strategy and decision-making process to reduce the wildfire risk in top risk areas.

Written comments are due by December 24 and must be submitted to the 2026-2028 Electrical Corporate Wildfire Mitigation Plans Docket (#2026-2028 WMPs).

In its 2026-2028 Base WMP, TBC demonstrated continued progress in vegetation management, setting up quarterly inspections which represent a step forward from its 2023-2025 Base WMP, which did not include vegetation management targets. TBC’s wildfire consequence from its facilities is very low due to its buried and submerged assets. However, in establishing these measures TBC is reinforcing its commitment to maintaining its facilities and further reducing its already minimal vegetation-related wildfire risk.

In its 2026-2028 Base WMP, HWT demonstrated that it continues to improve and expand its asset inspection practices. HWT conducts monthly visual asset inspections which now include aerial drone inspections in addition to on-the-ground inspections.

Written comments are due by December 21 and must be submitted to the 2026-2028 Electrical Corporate Wildfire Mitigation Plans Docket (#2026-2028 WMPs).

Release of the revised draft approval, which includes cross-utility areas of continued improvement added after Aug. 15, will launch a 10-day public comment period and a five-day reply comment period. Once all comments are evaluated, and Energy Safety issues its approval, BVES will have 10 calendar days to submit a final version of its WMP.

The revised draft approval follows release of a draft on July 16 and the incorporation of public comment that was taken through Aug. 15.

BVES is transitioning to a new risk model, incorporating new technology and programs for vegetation management and grid operations, and improving the quality of its data.

Energy Safety evaluated the 2023 WMP initiatives of Liberty’s approved 2023-2025 Base WMP and found that Liberty completed 33 of 39 or 85 percent of its 2023 initiative targets, including eight of the 10 initiatives with the largest planned expenditure. While Liberty failed to meet six of its 2023 WMP initiative activities and objectives, it was successful in executing its plan for wildfire risk mitigation. However, there are still areas of improvement and continued learning, primarily with properly documenting initiative progress and expenditures for the year. Energy Safety expects Liberty to improve the accuracy of its documentation going forward. 

Energy Safety will continue to monitor Liberty’s implementation of its ongoing wildfire mitigation activities and push the company to improve its ability to ultimately eliminate utility-caused catastrophic wildfires in California.