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PG&E Has Restored Power to All Customers Whose Power Was Proactively Turned Off for Safety

10/17/2018

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PG&E restored power today (Oct. 16) to all remaining customers whose power was proactively turned off for safety on Sunday (Oct. 14) in response to extreme weather conditions in the region. PG&E had restored about two-thirds of impacted customers by Monday night, and the company restored the last of the outages today.

PG&E chose to activate its Public Safety Power Shutoff Program, taking the unprecedented step of proactively shutting off power to customers to reduce risk of wildfire during this weather event. Approximately 59,000 PG&E customers were ultimately impacted by the public safety power shut off. PG&E notified approximately 97,000 customers in advance of the possibility that power would be turned off, but conditions did not require all customers to be impacted.

When the weather conditions improved early Monday morning, PG&E crews began the inspection of 3,400 miles of power lines and the restoration process. This process, performed by helicopter, vehicle, and on foot, identified multiple instances where power lines had been compromised by the severe weather. Crews have now repaired the wind damage and have also restored power.

During the event, PG&E proactively communicated with customers in advance wherever possible and provided detail about restoration times as the information became available. The company would like to express its appreciation for the patience of customers while their power was off to protect against potential wildfire ignitions.

“To all of our customers whose power was shut off, thank you for understanding that public safety must come first. The decision to turn power off is only done as a last resort and was made after considering a critical set of conditions. We hope that our customers understand that these steps are done for only one reason—to keep them safe and reduce the risk of wildfires,” said Pat Hogan, PG&E senior vice president, Electric Operations.

To bolster preparedness for future high fire-risk-related events, PG&E is asking customers to:

  • Learn whether their home or business is in or near a high fire-threat area on the CPUC High Fire-Threat District map. Customers also can visit pge.com/wildfiresafety to enter their address and find out if their home or business is served by an electric line that may be turned off for safety during high wildfire threats.
  • Update their contact information at pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743-6589 during normal business hours. PG&E will use this information to alert customers in advance of turning off their electric service for safety, when and where possible.
  • Prepare for and practice an emergency plan to keep themselves, their families and/or employees emergency-ready and safe during an outage. Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children and pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are available at pge.com/wildfiresafety

Public Safety Power Shutoff is part of PG&E’s comprehensive Community Wildfire Safety Program to reduce wildfire risks and strengthen our communities for the future.

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.

PG&E Corporation
Media Relations, 415.973.5930

Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company

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