December 18, 2024

Strategic Undergrounding of Dowe Flats 232

PVREA News

Project Overview

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office, Award Number DE-GD0000885.

Starting in 2025, our crews will begin work to replace 5.3 miles of the current three-phase overhead powerlines that serve the Pinewood Springs and Big Elk Meadows communities with safer, more reliable underground powerlines.

This $4.5M project, partially funded by the GRIP (Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships) grant, will benefit the local communities by improving reliability, enhancing resiliency, reducing wildfire risk, and reducing the need for vegetation management.

There will be minimal impacts to PVREA electric services during this upgrade. Our team will communicate with impacted members if any temporary service interruption is needed.

Project Updates

Project updates will be posted as this project unfolds.

October 2023 – Federal grant awarded.
December 11, 2024 – An informational session was held at the Pinewood Springs Fire Protection District, Pinewood Springs Station 1 headquarters. Eighteen community members were in attendance.

PVREA Received Federal Grant for Grid Upgrades to Mitigate Wildfire Risks

Poudre Valley REA (PVREA) received $3.25M from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to enhance wildfire protection and resilience in the communities it serves by making critical upgrades to its electric system.

PVREA is a member of a consortium of 38 electric cooperatives and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding through the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project (WARN).

PVREA will use its funding to underground 5.3 miles of three-phase overhead power lines that serve the Pinewood Springs and Big Elk Meadows communities near Lyons, Colorado. The project also includes the installation of SCADA-controlled smart switches.

WARN funding comes from DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Community Benefits Plan

The Community Benefits Plan is forthcoming and will be posted when available.

For questions, please contact the PVREA communications team at communications@pvrea.coop or call 800.432.1012.

Community Partnership Team

Pinewood Springs Fire Protection District
Pinewood Springs Property Owners Association

For more information about the Community Partnership Team, email communications@pvrea.coop or call 800.432.1012.

Grid Upgrade Plan

The Grid Upgrade Plan document is being compiled and will be posted when available.

For questions, please contact the PVREA communications team at communications@pvrea.coop or call 800.432.1012.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will This Project Impact Power Lines In My Yard?

At this time, we do not plan on undergrounding any powerline in our member’s yards. Work done for this project will entirely be on our main feeder line that serves the Pinewood Springs and Big Elk Meadows communities. See the map above for the highlighted work zone.
Will Planned Outages Be Needed?

While we don’t anticipate any impacts on your electrical service, if we need to interrupt service temporarily, we will reach out via email and phone to the impacted members before an outage occurs.

For info on generator safety, how to keep food safe during an outage, and more, view our outage center.
Click to Access Outage Center
What Can I Expect In Areas Being Worked On?

PVREA crews, as well as our contractors Foothills Energy and Altitude Energy, will be in the area performing work. You may see crews on foot and bucket trucks near the highlighted area.

Project Outreach & Contact Information

You can reach our communications team by emailing communications@pvrea.coop or calling 800.432.1012.

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