Snohomish PUD Implements Advanced Grid Technologies for Enhanced Reliability and Wildfire Safety

Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) in Washington state has selected Eaton to provide grid modernization technologies as part of a multi-year project aimed at improving system reliability and wildfire protection.

Over the next four years, the utility will deploy intelligent control and automatic circuit recloser technologies across its 6,000-mile distribution system. The work supports SnoSMART, a $60 million infrastructure initiative designed to enhance visibility, control, and resilience. The project is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

One of the PUD’s key objectives is to reduce outage duration by 25%. According to Eaton research, reclosers providing transient fault protection can improve outage rates by 50–90%. The technology automatically interrupts faults and restores power after momentary outages, while also reducing the duration of fault energy to lower wildfire risk from overhead lines.

“We are deploying Eaton Nova NX-STS reclosers in areas of our service territory that face the greatest reliability challenges and wildfire risks,” said John Hieb, P.E., distribution automation project manager at Snohomish PUD. “By integrating wireless communication capabilities, we can remotely monitor and control this equipment in real time – enabling faster outage response and proactive wildfire mitigation that will strengthen grid resilience and enhance safety for our customers.”

Snohomish PUD is the nation’s 12th largest public power utility and the second largest in Washington state, serving about 880,000 residents of Snohomish County and Camano Island.