Protection methods used to reduce wildfire risk due to transmission and distribution lines

Wildfires (bush fires and forest fires) have become more frequent, intense, and damaging in recent years. The impact of fires is made worse by the increased development in wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas and related land management practices that tend to result in large amounts of fuel that can lead to more intense fires. Extending electrical infrastructure into these areas increases the risk of igniting a catastrophic wildfire. Over the last decade, some of these mega fires have approached 400,000 hectares and destroyed more than 10,000 homes in addition to human fatalities and environmental harm. Electrical equipment is not the largest cause of wildfires, but the fires initiated by these tend to become larger and more damaging due to their relationship to the environmental conditions at the time of ignition (i.e., high temperatures, dry fuel, low humidity, and high wind conditions).