Bernalillo County Prepares for Possible PNM Power Shutoff in East Mountains

As high winds are expected in Albuquerque and surrounding areas today, Bernalillo County is on standby as PNM considers a Public Safety Power Shutoff in the East Mountains on Tuesday, March 18. In the event of a Public Safety Power Shutoff, non-emergency Bernalillo County services may be adjusted, including programming at East Mountain BernCo Community Centers.

At the time of this publication, PNM has not made the decision to implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff at this time. PNM will communicate directly with potentially affected customers if the decision to implement power shutoff is made in effort to reduce wildfire risk during extreme weather conditions. PNM’s website states if outages are implemented they are likely to occur between 1-3pm.

Bernalillo County Operational Impacts:

In the event of a Public Safety Power Shutoff, the following BernCo facilities will be closed for programming. 

• Los Vecinos Community Center
• Vista Grande Community Center

Spring break programs at these locations will continue as normal beginning at 7 a.m. Parents and guardians of children enrolled in these programs will be notified of any adjustments.

• Whispering Pines Senior Center – Meals will be served until noon; all afternoon programming will be cancelled in case of an outage.

Other operational changes include:

• Alternative Community Center Access – Residents impacted by an outage can visit any other Bernalillo County community center to access WiFi, available inside facilities and from parking lots.
• East Mountain Transfer Station – The facility will remain open but will accept cash only during an outage.
• Traffic Signal Outages- During an outage, drivers should expect delays and be aware of possible congestion at the intersection of NM 333 and the I-40 off ramp and the intersection of NM 14 and NM 333. 
• Public Safety Services Uninterrupted – Law enforcement, fire rescue, and emergency response services will continue operating as normal throughout the duration of a shutoff.

Additionally, PNM has adjusted system settings to be more sensitive to vegetation and debris that may come into contact with electrical equipment. This could lead to longer restoration times in the event of power outages, as manual inspections and repairs will be required to ensure system safety. Residents should continue to monitor conditions and prepare for potential service interruptions.

For more information on the Public Safety Power Shutoff, please visit www.pnm.com/wildfire-safety.

For those asking why PNM is contemplating shutting off the power, it’s to prevent power lines from becoming an ignition source and causing a catastrophic wildfire.

PNM’s website states:

Strong winds are in the forecast across New Mexico Tuesday, March 18.

We encourage our customers to prepare for potential weather-related power outages. PNM has set system controls to be more sensitive in the East Mountains, Las Vegas, Clayton, Ruidoso, and Silver City areas to better protect public safety from wildfire risks. 

PNM continues to evaluate a possible Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in East Mountains and Las Vegas on Tuesday, March 18. PNM has not made the decision to implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff at this time. PNM will notify customers who may be affected if a PSPS becomes necessary. 

You can report an outage by texting #REG to 78766 and then #OUT, visiting PNM.com/outage, or calling 888-DIAL-PNM. Sign up for outage alerts by texting #REG to 78766 and then #ALERT to 78766.

PNM’s outage map can be found here: https://outagemap.pnm.com

Bernalillo County Fire has also posted a public safety advisory via social media, emphasizing that outdoor burning is strictly prohibited due to the anticipated high winds and low humidity.