Sep 27, 2017   SOURCE: BusinessWire

PG&E Hosts Grand Opening for its New Gas Safety Academy; Third New Gas Safety Facility to Open Since 2013

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today opened its new Gas Safety Academy in Winters, Calif., the third in a series of its gas safety facilities to open since 2013. The Academy will serve as the primary training center for employees learning to operate and maintain every aspect of PG&E’s natural gas infrastructure. It features the very latest training technologies, including heavy equipment simulators, virtual learning resources, a model-neighborhood for emergency response and leak detection practices, and educational programs on industry-leading safety protocols.

The Academy took shape after five years of research, benchmarking, design and construction, and significant investment of time and resources. Prior to the Academy grand opening, PG&E’s Gas Control Center launched in fall 2013 as the company’s air traffic control for the gas system, and the company’s Center for Gas Safety and Innovation was unveiled in summer 2017.

“This premier training institution wouldn’t be possible without incredible partnership from the IBEW, the many companies we benchmarked with and the support from the City of Winters. This state-of-the-art, 30-acre site demonstrates our vision for the future and our unwavering safety commitment to our workforce and the millions of customers we serve,” said Nick Stavropoulos, President and Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

Each week, the Academy will host approximately 150 gas employees and will provide nearly 36,000 hours of training each year.

“The new Gas Safety Academy is a wonderful new addition to the growing Winters community. I am confident that it will help shape the future of Yolo County for many years to come," said Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, representing the 4th California Assembly District, including the City of Winters.

The Academy will offer a wide range of curriculum and field training for gas transmission and distribution pipelines, meter maintenance, heavy equipment operation, welding, pressure control, customer service, gas appliance operation, excavation, and education on safety standards and protocols.

“The experts who operate and maintain PG&E’s gas system play a critical role to keep customers safe and gas service reliable. This facility will be a significant resource for our members and we’re pleased by the investment PG&E made to employee training,” said Tom Dalzell, Business Manager, IBEW Local 1245.

Fast facts about the Gas Safety Academy:

  • Three main buildings on the 30-acre site total 96,000 square feet
  • A “model neighborhood” of 15 small homes creates near-real-life conditions for emergency response and leak detection training
  • A state of the art lab allows trainees to gain hands-on experience in regulating and monitoring the pressure and flow of natural gas
  • The welding lab accommodates apprentice welders for two weeks of formal training during each year of their three-year apprenticeship
  • A simulation room will allow trainees to gain near-real-life experience on trucks and excavation machinery used in the field

“Safety is at the center of this partnership with PG&E and our city couldn’t be more proud to welcome its gas workforce into our home. We all benefit by this investment in each other. Our local economy grows as PG&E innovates the way it trains the gas workforce of the future,” said City of Winters Mayor Wade Cowan.

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 nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.