Strengthening the Grid: How We're Building the Future of Reliability

We’re investing in the electric grid to make it stronger, smarter and more reliable. Behind every improvement is a team focused on reducing outages, speeding restoration and building a system that can better withstand Oklahoma’s severe weather conditions and tough terrain.

Strategic Approach to Reliability

PSO uses a data-driven approach to target reliability improvements where they’ll have the greatest impact. Our engineering and operations teams are constantly reviewing outage data and system performance trends to identify where we can be more deliberate with our resources and make the greatest impact for our customers.

With many short- and long-term projects in progress to maintain the infrastructure of the grid in Oklahoma, these tactics are our list of priorities to keep the lights on and improve our electric system.

Proactive Pole Replacement

Poles are the foundation of the electric grid, and PSO follows a proactive replacement plan to ensure long-term strength and safety.

Field technicians regularly inspect thousands of poles across the service area every year, identifying those that are nearing the end of their lifecycle. Replacing aging infrastructure before it fails helps prevent outages and strengthens the system against future storms.

Switching Technology

Switching equipment allows operators to reroute electricity from one source to another when a fault occurs. Switching allows us to reconfigure circuits and isolate the fault so we can feed power to customers from a different source. That means fewer people experience an outage and those who do are restored faster.

Switching provides system flexibility and supports faster, more efficient restoration.

Learn More About Switching

Smart Grid Technology

PSO continues to modernize the grid through long-term investments in automation and new technology. DACR (Distribution Automation Circuit Reconfiguration) uses sensors and automated controls to detect faults and reroute power during outages, often restoring many customers remotely within minutes.

Watch this short video to learn more from one of our top engineers about how this smart technology shifts power to lessen the impact of an outage.

Cutout Upgrades

Cutouts serve as protective links between power lines and transformers, automatically disconnecting during faults to prevent larger outages. PSO is upgrading to modern polymer cutouts designed to better withstand temperature extremes, moisture, and other environmental stresses. These replacements help safeguard equipment and enhance service reliability.

Fuse Installations

Fuses play a key role in containing outages. By isolating smaller sections of the grid when a problem occurs, they reduce the number of customers affected and shorten restoration times. PSO continues to install additional fuses across the system to improve protection and strengthen circuit performance.

Recloser Installations

Reclosers are automated devices that detect and respond to temporary faults on power lines. Unlike traditional fuses, they can automatically restore service after a brief interruption, often within seconds. These smart devices improve reliability and limit the duration of outages without requiring a crew visit.

Vegetation Management

Tree contact is the leading causes of power outages in our heavily forested and mountainous service area. PSO’s vegetation management plan focuses on tree trimming and removal of trees that threaten power lines. This ongoing work is essential to protecting the system and maintaining safe, reliable service.

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