Forecasted Dry, Northerly Winds Mean PG&E May Need to Proactively Shut Off Power for Safety to Approximately 28,000 customers across several counties starting Thursday

Rhea-AI Summary

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is monitoring a potential wind event forecasted to affect parts of their service area from Thursday noon to Saturday midday. Due to strong winds and dry conditions, PG&E may need to implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) affecting approximately 28,000 customers across several counties in California, including areas in the North Bay, East Bay, Central Coast, and Sierra Nevadas.

PG&E has begun sending advanced notifications to customers in targeted areas. The company's Emergency Operations Center is open, and meteorologists are closely monitoring the situation. Customers can check if their location is being monitored for potential safety shutoff at www.pge.com/pspsupdates. PG&E initiates PSPS when severe fire-weather conditions pose a danger to people's safety, lives, homes, and businesses.

Positive

• PG&E is proactively monitoring weather conditions to prevent potential wildfires
• Advanced notifications are being sent to potentially affected customers
• PG&E's Emergency Operations Center is actively monitoring the situation

Negative

• Potential power shutoff may affect approximately 28,000 customers across several counties
• Power outages could last from Thursday noon to Saturday midday
• PSPS events create hardships for customers and communities

Insights

Utility Operations Specialist

PG&E's proactive approach to wildfire prevention through potential Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) demonstrates a commitment to safety, but comes with operational challenges. The planned outage affecting 28,000 customers across multiple counties shows the wide-reaching impact of these preventive measures.

Key points to consider:

• The decision to implement PSPS is based on complex meteorological and environmental factors, indicating a data-driven approach to risk management.
• PG&E's 10,000-mile Undergrounding Program and other infrastructure improvements represent significant long-term investments in grid resilience.
• The company's multi-faceted strategy, including Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) and advanced technologies, suggests a comprehensive approach to wildfire mitigation.

While these measures may cause short-term inconvenience, they potentially reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, which could have far more severe financial and operational implications for the utility.

Environmental Risk Analyst

The implementation of PSPS events by PG&E reflects the growing challenges utilities face due to climate change and increased wildfire risks. This proactive measure, while disruptive, may be necessary given the current environmental conditions:

• Low humidity levels (below 30%)
• High winds (sustained above 19 mph, gusts above 30-40 mph)
• Dry vegetation and Red Flag Warnings

These factors highlight the complex interplay between climate, infrastructure and public safety. PG&E's multi-pronged approach to wildfire prevention, including undergrounding power lines and using AI for fire detection, shows adaptation to evolving environmental risks. However, the need for PSPS events underscores the ongoing vulnerability of above-ground power infrastructure in high-risk areas, suggesting that more comprehensive, long-term solutions may be necessary to ensure grid resilience in the face of changing climate patterns.

PG&E's Emergency Operations Center is Open and Company Meteorologists and Operations Professionals are Monitoring the Situation  

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) meteorologists and operations professionals are monitoring a potential wind event forecasted to enter parts of our service area around noon on Thursday and exit as late as midday Saturday. Given the forecasted strong winds and current dry vegetation conditions, PG&E has begun sending advanced notifications to customers—via text, email, and automated phone call—in targeted areas where power may need to be proactively shut off for safety to reduce wildfire risk. The duration and extent of power outages will depend on the weather in each area, and not all customers will be affected for the entire period.

The potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event could affect approximately 28,000 customers in small portions of several counties, including areas in the North Bay, East Bay, Central Coast, and Sierra Nevadas. PG&E's in-house meteorologists, Emergency Operations Center, and Hazard Awareness & Warning Center (HAWC) continue to monitor conditions closely and will share additional customer notifications as conditions evolve. 

When possible, PG&E representatives will make individual, in-person visits to customers enrolled in the company's Medical Baseline Program who do not verify they have received these important safety communications, with a primary focus on customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment. 

Potentially Affected Customers, Counties 

Customers can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at www.pge.com/pspsupdates. 

The potential shutoff is currently expected to affect approximately 28,000 customers across the following counties:  

• Alameda County: 28 customers, 1 Medical Baseline customer
• Alpine County: 564 customers, 10 Medical Baseline customers
• Amador County: 55 customers, 2 Medical Baseline customers
• Butte County: 648 customers, 51 Medical Baseline customers
• Calaveras County: 2,346 customers, 59 Medical Baseline customers
• Colusa County: 605 customers, 30 Medical Baseline customers
• Contra Costa County: 805 customers, 49 Medical Baseline customers
• El Dorado County: 984 customers, 28 Medical Baseline customers
• Fresno County: 1,151 customers, 73 Medical Baseline customers
• Glenn County: 511 customers, 21 Medical Baseline customers
• Lake County: 168 customers, 8 Medical Baseline customers
• Madera County: 2,901 customers, 216 Medical Baseline customers
• Mariposa County: 640 customers, 15 Medical Baseline customers
• Mendocino County: 10 customers, 4 Medical Baseline customers
• Merced County: 27 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
• Monterey County: 576 customers, 21 Medical Baseline customers
• Napa County: 649 customers,17 Medical Baseline customers
• Nevada County: 808 customers, 16 Medical Baseline customers
• Placer County: 1,175 customers, 26 Medical Baseline customers
• Plumas County: 658 customers, 27 Medical Baseline customers
• San Luis Obispo County: 128 customers, 4 Medical Baseline customers
• Santa Barbara County: 106 customers, 2 Medical Baseline customers
• Shasta County: 1,417 customers, 87 Medical Baseline customers
• Sierra County: 972 customers, 41 Medical Baseline customers
• Solano County: 2,467 customers, 196 Medical Baseline customers
• Sonoma County: 707 customers, 19 Medical Baseline customers
• Stanislaus County: 27 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
• Tehama County: 2,872 customers, 275 Medical Baseline customers
• Tuolumne County: 3,823 customers, 175 Medical Baseline customers
• Yolo County: 262 customers, 15 Medical Baseline customers

Here's what PG&E customers should know: 

Why PG&E Calls a PSPS Event 

PG&E initiates PSPS when the fire-weather forecast is severe enough that people's safety, lives, homes and businesses may be in danger of wildfires. Our overarching goal is to stop catastrophic wildfires by proactively turning off power in targeted areas when extreme weather threatens our electric grid. We recognize that PSPS outages create hardships for our customers and communities. Our sole focus is to keep our customers safe. 

As each weather situation is unique, we carefully review a combination of factors when deciding if power must be turned off. These factors include but are not limited to:  

• Low humidity levels, generally 30% and below.
• A forecast of high winds, particularly sustained winds above 19 miles per hour and wind gusts above 30-40 miles per hour.
• Condition of dry material on the ground and low moisture content of vegetation.
• A Red Flag Warning declared by the National Weather Service.
• Real-time ground observations from our crews working across the service area.

Our decision-making process also accounts for the presence of trees tall enough to strike powerlines. 

This set of criteria is a first step which may lead to further analysis by our meteorology team to determine if a PSPS event is necessary. 

Here's Where to Learn More 

• PG&E's emergency website (www.pge.com/pspsupdates) is now available in 16 languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Farsi, Arabic, Hmong, Khmer, Punjabi, Japanese, Thai, Portuguese and Hindi. Customers have the opportunity to choose their language of preference for viewing the information when visiting the website.
• Customers are encouraged to update their contact information and indicate their preferred language for notifications by visiting www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-800-743-5000, where in-language support is available.
• Tenants and non-account holders can sign up to receive PSPS ZIP Code Alerts for any area they you do not have a PG&E account by visiting www.pge.com/pspsupdates.
• At PG&E's Safety Action Center (www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com) customers can prepare for emergencies. By using the "Make Your Own Emergency Plan" tool and answering a few short questions, visitors to the website can compile and organize the important information needed for a personalized family emergency plan. This includes phone numbers, escape routes and a family meeting location if an evacuation is necessary.

PG&E's Commitment to Wildfire Safety 

Using advanced technologies and rebuilding the electric system from the underground up, we are preventing wildfires, improving reliability and reducing costs over the long term. We are building the energy grid of the future that our customers deserve while also taking immediate steps to keep customers safe. 

Our wildfire prevention work relies on layers of protection to make our system safer and more resilient while positioning us to better serve our customers in the short and long term. These tools help us respond to our state's evolving climate challenges:  

• Our 10,000-mile Undergrounding Program is the largest effort in the U.S. to underground powerlines as a wildfire risk reduction measure.
• In addition to undergrounding, we are strengthening the electric system with stronger poles and covered powerlines in and near high fire-risk areas.
• Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) decrease ignitions and provide wildfire protection to all customers living in high fire-risk areas.
• We continue to reduce the impact of PSPS. While there were no weather-driven PSPS outages in 2022, it continues to be a top focus for our team.
• We are managing trees and other vegetation located near powerlines that could cause a power outage and/or ignition.
• We are also investing in advanced tools and technologies like artificial intelligence and drones that help us automate fire detection and response.

About PG&E 

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/forecasted-dry-northerly-winds-mean-pge-may-need-to-proactively-shut-off-power-for-safety-to-approximately-28-000-customers-across-several-counties-starting-thursday-302277250.html

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company

FAQ

How many customers might be affected by PG&E's potential PSPS event on Thursday?

Approximately 28,000 customers across several counties in California may be affected by the potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event starting Thursday.

What areas are potentially affected by PG&E's PSPS event starting Thursday?

The potential PSPS event could affect areas in the North Bay, East Bay, Central Coast, and Sierra Nevadas in California.

How can PG&E (PCG) customers check if their location is being monitored for potential safety shutoff?

Customers can check if their location is being monitored for potential safety shutoff by visiting www.pge.com/pspsupdates and looking up their address online.

What factors does PG&E (PCG) consider when deciding to implement a PSPS?

PG&E considers factors such as low humidity levels, high wind forecasts, dry ground conditions, Red Flag Warnings, real-time observations, and the presence of trees tall enough to strike powerlines when deciding to implement a PSPS.