Nov 21, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Nov. 20 PSPS UPDATE: Due to Improved Weather, Approximately 83,000 Customers Removed from Scope of Public Safety Power Shutoff

Due to improved weather conditions including some precipitation and increased humidity levels, approximately 83,000 customers previously expected to lose power for safety are no longer part of this Public Safety Power Shutoff. These customers are in El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sierra and Yuba counties as well as western Sonoma County.

Customers Turned Off for Safety

For safety, PG&E turned off power to approximately 48,000 customers Wednesday morning. These customers are in portions of Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama and Yolo counties. Wind speeds exceeding 50 mph were recorded earlier today in most of these counties, including wind speeds over 70 mph in Sonoma County.

Weather Being Monitored

PG&E continues to monitor evolving weather conditions, which may prompt shutoffs later today for 14,000 customers in Butte, Plumas and Tehama counties and additional parts of Yuba County. Strong winds have the potential for damage and hazards to the electric system, which could ignite wildfires if lines are energized. Parts of Northern California are experiencing one of the driest starts to the rain season, which began Oct. 1, in recent history.

PG&E continues to keep customers updated on the status of planned shutoffs via text, email and automated calls.

The original scope of this PSPS was 300,000 customers. In addition to the 83,000 customers removed this morning from the scope of this PSPS, PG&E removed approximately 150,000 customers in six counties from the PSPS late Tuesday due to improving weather conditions.

Interconnected Nature of the Grid

Some customers in the PSPS may not experience adverse weather at their location but are impacted because the line serving their community relies upon a line that runs through an area experiencing extreme fire danger conditions. PG&E continues to sectionalize the grid so that over time PSPS events will become more targeted. See a video explaining this.

Expected All-Clear and Restoration

Winds are expected to subside Thursday morning. Once the all-clear is given, inspections and any necessary repairs will be performed before lines are re-energized. PG&E has already staged resources, including 45 helicopters and 5,500 employees, in the impacted areas to expedite inspections as soon as the all-clear is received and it is light enough to do so.

Restoration will occur in stages depending on inspections and any repairs of wind damage to the electric system. Current weather predictions point to a possible restoration for most customers by late Thursday.

Some customers not affected by the PSPS event may experience power outages due to weather. PG&E will work to restore all outages safely and as quickly as possible.

Customer Resource Centers

Beginning at 8 a.m., PG&E began opening Customer Resource Centers in the affected areas to provide charging stations for electronic devices as well as non-perishable snacks, ice, heating and cooling, restroom facilities and blankets, upon request. Most centers will be open until 8 p.m. and will reopen Thursday at 8 a.m. A current list of centers and their addresses can be found at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

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 www.pge.com and www.pge.com/news.