A Vermont Power Company Promising No Outages Despite Climate Change Dangers

Vermont's Green Mountain Power, weighed down by the
expense of repairs after climate change-driven storms,
is launching an initiative to harden its system with
a goal to prevent all power outages. Is it feasible?

 Can a decent sized electrical utility eliminate power outages?

It doesn't seem likely, but Vermont's Green Mountain Power is going to try. And company representatives say they will do it by 2030. 

This is a first of its kind initiative anywhere in the nation. I'm sure other utilities and energy experts around the nation are watching to see how this all works out. 

Here's how Green Mountain Power announced it back on October 10:

"Green Mountain Power (GMP) today launched its Zero Outages Initiative, the first utility in the country to commit to a comprehensive, data-driven plan that creates layers of resiliency across Vermont but building on GMP's successful and proactive undergrounding and storm-hardening of lines, as well as deployment of energy storage through batteries and microgrids."

Like so many corporate, government and individual decisions these days, GMPs plans are at least in part motivated by climate change. 

Storms in Vermont, often supercharged by climate change, has taken a toll on GMP, along with many other utilities. As GMP's press release states: 

"For context, major storms are escalating and sustainable. In the past twelve months alone, major storms required more than $5 million in repairs. Since 2013, major storms caused $115 million in damage across GMP's service area, with 60% of that in the last five years. 40% of that in just the last two years, and the $45 million in 2023 was the most yet. That is money spent to repair the existing system and get customers reconnected after storm damage, and it does not prevent future outages."

GMP President and CEO Mari McClure told Vermont Public that the increasing storminess associated with climate change is the biggest threat to the electrical grid, which is why the utility is acting. 

According to filings with state regulators, the Zero Outages initiative would cost up to $280 million over the next two years, then another $250 for putting lines underground or hardening them against storms, and $30 million for energy storage. 

The utility hopes to recoup much of that investment by sharply reducing the need to conduct expensive storm repairs. 

As Vermont Public reports, here's how this "zero outage" strategy would work: 

Distribution lines in very rural parts of the state would be relocated underground. That would eliminate the risk of trees falling on the lines and cutting power. 

Then there main feeder lines which originate in substations and go out into towns and cities throughout Vermont. These lines serve both rural and urban parts of the state. These lines would be strongly reinforced and insulated to withstand the pressure of falling trees and branches. 

There's a substation a short distance from my St. Albans, Vermont home and one of those feeder lines goes right by my house. There's a lot of trees hovering over near my place.  It will be interesting to see what GMP does to this feeder line when the work starts. 

Finally, people in very rural areas would receive batteries to store electricity. That way, if remote electrical wires are cut by storms, people in these outlying areas will still have a supply of power until the lines are repaired. 

Energy experts are aligned with my thoughts that GMP's zero outage goal is laudable, but probably not completely attainable. Especially with the boost from climate change, there will always be storms that overwhelm the defenses the utility is trying to put up. 

The initiative needs approval from the Vermont Public Utility Commission before it can start. If the approval arrives, the first work on the project would start sometime next spring or summer.