PSPS Update: Power Restored for Essentially All Affected Customers After Dry, Offshore Wind Event and Exceptional Drought Conditions Prompt Safety Shutoff

By: Pacific Gas and Electric Company via Business Wire

August 19, 2021 at 20:22 PM EDT

Crews Patrol 3,200 Miles of De-Energized Power Lines Before Safely Restoring Power

Inspections Find At Least 4 Instances of Damage or Hazards to Electric Equipment That Could Have Sparked Wildfires if Lines Were Energized

As of 5 p.m. today, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has restored power to essentially all of the approximately 50,000 customers impacted by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event that began Tuesday evening in targeted parts of 13 counties, the majority in Shasta, Butte, Napa and Tehama counties.

Once the wind event passed in each affected area, PG&E crews conducted ground and aerial patrols to inspect more than 3,200 miles of distribution and transmission lines for damage or hazards. That’s a distance greater than driving from San Francisco to Miami, Fla. The patrol and inspection efforts included more than 1,300 ground patrol units and 33 helicopters.

Damage and Hazards Identified

As of 5 p.m. today, preliminary data show at least 10 instances of weather-related damage and hazards in the PSPS-affected areas; at least four of these had the potential to cause wildfire ignitions if PG&E had not de-energized power lines. Examples include damaged equipment and vegetation and other debris on power lines. More hazard and damage reports are being evaluated.

In areas where equipment was damaged by the wind event, crews worked safely and as quickly as possible to make the repairs and restore those customers.

More Information on PG&E PSPS Events

PG&E appreciates customers’ patience during this PSPS. The decision to initiate a PSPS is not taken lightly and is done as a last resort for public safety given the exceptional drought conditions and dry, offshore wind that heighten wildfire risk.

PG&E will submit a report to the California Public Utilities Commission detailing this PSPS event within 10 days of the restoration of the final customers.

For more information on the PSPS event, visit http://www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

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 and pge.com/news.