Patrols and inspections confirm at least 13 instances of damage or hazards to electric equipment during the strong wind event
By ONME Newswire
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has restored power to essentially all customers who can receive service that were impacted by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event that started early Sunday morning on September 27.
The PSPS event was initiated due to a severe weather pattern that included strong, dry winds coupled with elevated temperatures in portions of the Northern and Central Sierra region. The scope of the PSPS included nearly 65,000 customers in 15 counties, including: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lake, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama and Yuba counties. Two customers within Sonoma County were also included in this PSPS. A few customers in Kern County had initially been included, but due to improved weather conditions, were removed from the scope.
Once the strong winds subsided Monday morning and the weather “all clear” was given, PG&E crews began patrols on the ground beginning early Monday morning to inspect more than 3,915 miles of transmission and distribution power lines for damage or hazards. This patrol and inspection effort included nearly 1,700 ground personnel and 50 helicopters.
About 24,000 customers without power due to the Glass and Zogg fires, not from Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Event
PG&E crews began restoring customers in areas where they found no damage or hazards to electrical equipment. In areas where equipment was damaged by the severe wind event, crews worked safely and as quickly as possible to make the repairs and restore those customers.
Damage and Hazards Identified
Preliminary data shows 13 instances of weather-related damage and hazards in the PSPS-affected areas. Examples include downed lines and vegetation on power lines. If PG&E had not de-energized power lines, these types of damage could have caused potential wildfire ignitions.
Wildfire Response
PG&E continues to monitor the Glass and Zogg Fires and is working closely with first responders and CAL FIRE. Approximately 24,000 PG&E customers in Napa, Sonoma, Shasta and Tehama Counties impacted by wildfires are without power. In some instances, power was turned off in partnership with CAL FIRE and for the safety of firefighters in active fire areas or due to damage caused from wildfire related impacts to equipment.
PG&E has not filed an Electric Incident Report related to these fires, and has no information indicating that the Glass or Zogg fire ignitions could be attributable to its facilities.
More Information on PG&E PSPS Events
PG&E’s goal is to have essentially all customers affected by the PSPS who can receive power to be restored within 12 daylight hours of the weather “all clear” for each affected area.
PG&E uses a PSPS only as the last resort to protect community and customer safety against wildfires, given dry and windy weather, dry vegetation and an elevated fire risk across portions of its service area. Wind gusts as high as 72 mph were recorded during this PSPS event.
PG&E will submit a report detailing damages from the severe weather conditions to the California Public Utilities Commission within 10 days of the completion of the PSPS.
For more information on the PSPS event, visit pge.com/pspsupdates.
Prevention, Preparedness and Support
It is important that PG&E has your current contact information so you can be notified and better prepared if a wildfire or PSPS event may impact your home or business. To set up your alerts, visit pge.com/alerts.
With the increased wildfire threat our state faces, PG&E is enhancing and expanding our efforts to reduce wildfire risks and keep our customers and communities safe. Our Community Wildfire Safety Program includes short, medium and long-term plans to make our system safer. For tips on how to prepare for emergencies and outages, visit our Safety Action Center at safetyactioncenter.pge.com.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
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