Dear GCEA Member, 
We know the recent increase in power outages has been frustrating, and we understand the inconvenience they have caused for you, your family, and your business. We want to take a moment to explain why these outages are happening more frequently and why this approach is necessary to help protect our communities.
Why are there so many outages?
Because of the elevated wildfire risk across our service territory, GCEA has placed the electric system in non-reclose mode, an important wildfire prevention measure that will remain in effect until fire conditions improve.
Under normal operating conditions, protective devices on our system automatically attempt to restore power after a temporary fault, such as a small animal coming into contact with electrical equipment. In many cases, power is restored within seconds without the need for a crew to respond.
When the system is operating in non-reclose mode, those automatic restoration attempts are disabled. Instead, the protective device shuts off power once and remains off until a GCEA crew can safely inspect the line and manually restore service.
Why does this result in more outages?
Many of the outages we've experienced recently have been caused by small animals contacting electrical equipment—events that would normally result in only a brief interruption or might go unnoticed altogether. With non-reclose mode in place, every outage requires a crew to respond, inspect the equipment, and verify that it is safe to re-energize the line before power can be restored.
While this means outages may last longer and affect more members than they normally would, it significantly reduces the risk of electrical equipment producing sparks that could ignite a wildfire during hot, dry conditions.
Our commitment to you
Protecting the communities we serve requires balancing reliability with public safety. We know losing power is disruptive, and we sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as our crews work around the clock to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
GCEA will continue operating in non-reclose mode until wildfire conditions improve and it is safe to return the system to normal operation.
Thank you for your continued patience and support as we work together to reduce wildfire risk and keep our communities safe.
If you have any questions, please contact us at (970) 641-3520 or gcea@gcea.coop.