WARN Project - Butte Electric Cooperative | Rushmore Electric Power Cooperative

Our WARN Project

Butte Electric Cooperative joined a consortium of 37 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding through the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project, or “WARN.”

BEC has proposed to replace overhead powerlines in Lawrence County in the Spearfish area with undergrounded lines. This project will eliminate wildfire risks inherent for overhead power line conductor and overhead recloser operations. The estimated project cost including ditching, labor and materials is $1,545,147.

BEC has also proposed additional work to replace overhead powerlines with underground power lines in five separate locations in western South Dakota. These projects will eliminate wildfire risks inherent in overhead power line conductors and overhead recloser operations. The estimated project cost, including ditching, labor, and materials, is $2,863,203.

Project Area Maps

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Butte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BEC) provides safe, reliable, and affordable energy and services that improve the quality of life for our members and their communities. Founded in 1940, BEC serves more than 5,700 members in Western South Dakota, in the counties of Butte, Lawrence, and Meade. BEC’s peak demand is 31.5 MW, with 1,413 miles of energized power lines, and 24 employees.

BEC is a member of a consortium of 37 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding through the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project, or “WARN.”

The Homestake Road Underground Powerline burial project is in northwestern Lawrence County, south of Interstate I-90, west of the city of Spearfish. The project would underground 5.3 miles of line to reduce the risk of wildfire. Approximately 102 power poles would be removed (5.3 miles, approximately 275 feet between poles). All overhead fuses in these areas would also be removed.

The additional powerline burial projects are in rural areas of Butte, Lawrence, and Meade Counties of South Dakota (as shown on the maps). Cumulatively, these work areas would underground 16.7 miles of line to reduce the risk of wildfire. Approximately 320 power poles would be removed (16.7 miles, approximately 275 feet between poles). All overhead fuses in these areas would also be removed.

The conversion will enhance system reliability, safety, and aesthetics. The scope of work includes trench excavation, conduit installation, cable pulling, splicing, and termination at designated transformer and service points. Existing poles, the overhead conductor, and associated overhead equipment will be removed upon completion of the underground installation.

The new underground system will maintain the same voltage class and service area while being designed and constructed in accordance with IEEE, RUS, and NESC standards. Protective equipment such as pad-mounted transformers, switchgear, and junction cabinets will be installed to improve reliability, sectionalizing capability, and operational flexibility.

Construction activities will be performed in compliance with utility specifications, applicable environmental regulations, and best management practices to minimize soil disturbance, erosion, and other environmental impacts.

Undergrounding will reduce visual impacts, minimize vegetation clearance needs, and lower environmental disturbance in sensitive habitats. The underground configuration will improve system resilience against wind, ice, and storm-related outages while reducing long-term vegetation management requirements. By eliminating the overhead conductor and removing reclosers and fuses from overhead power lines, the project will significantly reduce the potential for utility-caused wildfire ignition and enhance public safety.

The project will be coordinated with local jurisdictions, agencies, and property owners to minimize disruptions during construction. Upon completion, the underground facilities will undergo inspection, testing, and commissioning to verify compliance with all applicable standards and ensure long-term operational performance.

Per the 2020 United States Census, Spearfish’s population is 12,193. The secondary work area's population is 1,321.The area includes residential homes as well as biking and hiking trails used by those living in the surrounding area.

Cloudfire Inc. performed an independent wildfire risk analysis for the entire service area of Butte Electric Cooperative. This risk analysis first identifies the risk of igniting a fire along the utility’s lines. This is determined by considering historic weather conditions, vegetation and wildfire fuels, geological features, and various other factors. For each possible ignition, several thousand potential fires are simulated. These simulations are used to compute the cost of damage to structures from the resulting wildfires, and potential damage to utility infrastructure that might exacerbate conditions. The final wildfire risk determination models a combination of the probability of igniting a wildfire, and the extent of damage that could potentially be caused by the wildfire. The risk areas are provided as a color mapping over the utility’s service area. This can be used to determine the critical areas for wildfire hardening that will serve the best returns on investment and provide wildfire mitigation benefits for the population in and around the work area.

This document highlights BEC’s WARN powerline burial project in relation to the wildfire risk map described above, and how the Grid Upgrade Plan addresses these risks.

After Cloudfire Inc. provided the risk map data, we identified the highest areas of importance within our service territory:

The southern area of our service territory
Areas near Interstate 90
Areas near population centers

This proposed Grid Upgrade Plan includes the following area identified by Cloudfire’s model:

Homestake Road overhead power line (~ 70 percent wildfire risk)
Auer Road overhead power line ~ 95 percent wildfire risk
Erickson Road overhead power line ~ 99 percent wildfire risk
127 Avenue overhead power line ~90 percent wildfire risk
Whitewood 100 Circuit underground power line redundancy ~ 95 percent wildfire risk (if built as an overhead power line)
South Newell 100 overhead power line ~10 percent wildfire risk

In addition to Cloudfire’s assessment, our project addresses the following important considerations that formed the basis for our proposal:

BEC provides retail electric service to rural homes and businesses in Meade, Lawrence, and Butte Counties. Currently, FEMA grades these counties’ wildfire risk (respectively): 71^st percentile, 63^rd percentile, 48^th percentile. Of note: In the spring and summer of 2025, we received significant rainfall, lowering our FEMA Wildfire Risk Index percentiles compared to past years. Although the precipitation provides a welcome reprieve from recent drought conditions, we expect our wildfire risk to increase sooner rather than later.

Our WARN project encompasses areas of Black Hills National Forest – near the popular tourist destinations of Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial. Our plan involves undergrounding the Homestake Road power line, which contains grid components between 35 and 77 years old. Undergrounding at this site will reduce significant wildfire risk and electric reliability concerns.

Based on these considerations, we have proposed our Grid Upgrade Plan to best serve our members and secure the most value for our investment.

From the above analysis, BEC’s project area presents a significant concern for wildfires. This proposed Grid Upgrade Plan addresses these risks by:

Undergrounding the power line and removing the existing overhead power line

BEC’s project will take approximately 2 to 3 years, with construction broken up into four stages to be completed primarily in the months of April through November in consecutive years, conditions permitting.

Design: 3-6 months
Permitting: Overhead easements will be replaced with underground easements.
Construction: Undergrounding a distribution line along the road will require some level of traffic control, and the operation of large excavation equipment along with maneuvering large reels of primary cable. Some disruption to traffic flow is inevitable. Construction occurring primarily from April through November during 2026, 2027, and 2028.
Operation: Moving overhead electrical systems to underground includes conversion services that require specialized contractors and the utility line workers and operations personnel to complete the projects.

At 2 PM, on December 18, 2024, at our Spearfish outpost (3450 Old Belle Road), BEC hosted a kickoff meeting to introduce the project to interested community members. Four days prior, BEC noticed the meeting in the Black Hills Pioneer. Three members attended the kickoff meeting, reviewing the project’s objectives, its funding (partially federally funded), construction location (a large project construction site map), construction timeline, and anticipated benefits. Attendees expressed support for the project, particularly the expected wildfire risk reduction, increased grid reliability, and improved skyline aesthetics. There was no negative feedback or requested project changes.

Our WARN Project

Project Area Maps

Homestake Road (west of Spearfish)

Auer Road (north of Deadwood)

Erickson Road (southwest of Sturgis)

127th Avenue (north of Sturgis)

Whitewood 100 Circle (north of Sturgis)

Newell 100 (southeast of Newell)

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Consortium member information

Project description

Technical specifications and communities & consumers impacted

Wildfire risk analysis

Benefits

Timeline

Consumer feedback

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