Overview

Anza Electric Cooperative serves a rugged, mountainous region of Southern California near Palm Springs and San Diego. The rural electric co-op maintains 750 miles of line across roughly 500 square miles, providing power to approximately 5,000 members with a system of about 12,000 distribution poles. Operating in a high fire severity zone, the cooperative faced the challenge of maintaining reliable infrastructure that could withstand wildfire conditions while reducing maintenance demands.

The Challenge

Anza faced multiple challenges in maintaining reliable service across its mountainous service area, particularly in high fire severity zones. One of the primary goals was to lessen outage times during wildfires, which can affect remote or hard-to-reach areas and leave 500 or more customers without power for extended periods. To reduce hazards, crews often shut off power during fires, patrolling lines before safely re-energizing the system. Minimizing outage duration while protecting both the public and crew safety was critical.

Historically, the cooperative relied on wood utility poles, but these structures presented significant limitations. Even when wood poles appeared sound, internal rot could compromise their integrity, making them unpredictable. Fire events highlighted the risk: some poles remained standing while others fell across roads, creating additional hazards.

Annual inspections using visual assessments, hammer tests, and resistograph drilling revealed an increasing number of rotting poles, influenced by varying soil conditions across the region. Even newer wood poles, installed within the last decade, showed early signs of deterioration. In some cases, soil samples were sent to labs to better understand contributing factors, though not all causes could be precisely identified. These uncertainties, coupled with liability concerns, underscored the need for a more resilient and reliable pole solution that could withstand wildfire conditions while reducing maintenance demands and outage risks. 

The Solution

Anza connected with McWane Poles at an industry conference and began evaluating ductile iron poles with a pilot installation of two poles in 2018. With guidance from the McWane team, crews quickly adapted to the new technology. Following successful testing, the cooperative expanded the program and now maintains 500–600 ductile iron poles across its system, with additional poles regularly ordered for new projects.

Why McWane Poles

Ductile iron poles offer several advantages that make them well-suited to Anza Electric’s system:

  • Wildfire Resilience: Unlike wood, ductile iron poles do not burn or deteriorate, helping infrastructure remain standing during wildfire events.
  • Long-Term Durability: As engineered products, ductile iron poles provide consistent strength and predictable performance, eliminating the natural variability of wood poles.
  • Faster Installation: Standardized drill patterns allow poles to arrive pre-drilled for crossarms, transformers, and communications equipment. Tasks that once took crews up to two hours to complete on a wood pole can now be finished in a fraction of the time. 
  • Installation Precision: Alignment markings on the poles enable crews to position hardware quickly and accurately.
  • Aesthetics and Availability: The poles blend naturally into the mountainous landscape and are supplied from a regional manufacturing location, ensuring reliable lead times.

“I’m really impressed by the ease of installation and the amount of time it saves. I remember how much time was spent simply framing wood poles when I was on the crew long ago. Now when the crew frames the ductile iron poles, it takes them a quarter of the time. It is incredibly easy, and incredibly fast.”

Sandy King, Engineering Manager
Anza Electric Co-Op

Operational Benefits

Ductile iron poles have also enhanced operations in several key areas:

  • Simplified Inspections: Because ductile iron poles do not rot, intrusive testing is no longer required to assess internal structural integrity.
  • Better Inventory Management: Engineered poles are uniform in size and weight, improving accuracy in tracking and accounting.
  • Predictable Logistics: Known weights and specifications help crews plan installations in remote areas where materials may need to be carried by hand.

Proven Performance

The resilience of ductile iron poles has been demonstrated under real-world conditions. During a wildfire that affected part of Anza’s service area, approximately 35 wood poles were lost, while nearby ductile iron poles remained standing, supporting fallen wood poles and keeping roadways clear. The poles have also withstood vehicle impacts, maintaining line integrity and preventing outages.

Long-Term Value

Although ductile iron poles require a higher initial investment than wood, the cooperative has found the long-term economics compelling. Reduced installation time, minimal maintenance, longer service life, and lower wildfire liability risk contribute to significant long-term savings.

“While the upfront cost is higher, we see immediate savings through reduced labor resulting from more efficient installations. Over time, their long service life more than pays for the initial investment. By moving to ductile iron, we have avoided the costs associated with damage that occurs from natural wood degradation and woodpeckers. And in a wildfire scenario, the value is immediate. There’s much less risk of pole failure, which helps us avoid costly cascading situations.”

Sandy King, Engineering Manager
Anza Electric Co-Op

A Strong Partnership

From the first pilot installation to ongoing system upgrades, McWane Poles has collaborated closely with Anza to provide technical guidance and support. The cooperative continues to expand its use of ductile iron poles as part of its long-term infrastructure strategy, benefiting from faster installation, improved operational efficiency, and enhanced wildfire resilience.