APS Response to Complaint About Power Outages at LV Ranch

In response to power outage concerns expressed at the December 2019 Board Meeting, Joe Dalmas talked to a member of the APS Construction Planning Team to determine if APS can mitigate what appears to be a worsening problem. The APS response: “No, not really.”

Summer at LV Ranch

LV Ranch is a long way from the source of power, there are miles of above ground power lines leading to our neighborhood, and there is a lot of equipment between us and the source of power.  All of this leaves us more susceptible to failures caused by wind, weather, and animals.  With regard to the recent outages, power poles were blown down by high winds, power lines and equipment were damaged by birds and small animals, and lightening strikes damaged transmission lines and blew fuses.  APS does perform periodic, preventative maintenance, but this will not reduce the outages caused by wind, weather, and animals.  The only way to improve reliability is to bury the power lines, and APS does not have a plan in place to bury the lines leading to our neighborhood.

If there was an easy, affordable solution to our problem, APS would make changes to improve reliability.  But the topography of our area and the limited number of customers makes burying transmission lines cost prohibitive, and our complaints will not change that.