PG&E PSPS Oct. 27 10:00 PM Update: 97% of Customers Have Been Restored by Tuesday Night, With Essentially All Customers Expected to Have Power Back on Wednesday Morning

Rhea-AI Summary

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) restored power to over 335,000 customers affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that began on October 25. As of Tuesday night, only around 10,000 customers remained without power, expected to be restored by noon on Wednesday. PG&E inspected over 17,000 miles of lines, identifying at least 72 instances of damage. The PSPS was implemented as a safety measure against wildfire risks due to severe weather conditions, including high winds reaching up to 89 mph in some areas.

Positive

• Restored power to over 335,000 customers quickly.
• Implemented PSPS as a precautionary measure to prevent wildfires.

Negative

• Approximately 10,000 customers still without power as of Tuesday night.
• Severe wind event caused at least 72 instances of damage, delaying full restoration.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) restored power by Tuesday night to more than 335,000 of the approximately 345,000 customers impacted by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that started Sunday morning (Oct. 25).

PG&E crews began restoring power to customers where no damage or hazards to electrical equipment were found during patrols that began as early as Monday morning in locations where the weather “all clear” was received. 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.

Due to continuing high winds and dynamic weather conditions, the weather “all clear” notification for the remaining impacted areas was issued at 1:45 p.m. today. Following this all clear, PG&E crews began power restoration efforts in areas still out of power. Essentially all remaining customers—approximately 10,000—are expected to have power back on by noon on Wednesday.

PG&E crews will have patrolled over 17,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines to inspect for damage or hazards before all customers have been restored. The patrol and inspection efforts include nearly 1,800 ground patrol units, 65 helicopters and one airplane. Preliminary data shows at least 72 identified instances of weather-related damage and hazards in the PSPS-affected areas. Examples include downed lines and vegetation on lines. If PG&E had not de-energized the lines, these types of damage could have caused wildfire ignitions.

PSPS Restoration

PG&E has restored 335,000 customers and expects all remaining customers to have power back on by noon on Wednesday. Restoration may be delayed for some customers if there is significant damage to individual lines, which could be caused by wind-blown branches and other debris.

The restoration process PG&E follows includes:

1. Patrol – PG&E crews look for potential weather-related damage to the lines, poles and towers. This is done by foot, vehicle and air.
2. Repair – Where equipment damage is found, PG&E crews isolate the damaged area from the rest of the system so other parts of the system can be energized.
3. Restore – Once the system is safe to energize, PG&E's Control Center can complete the process and restore power to affected areas.
4. Notify Customers – Customers are notified that power has been restored.

For more updates on the PSPS event, visit pge.com/pspsupdates.

Top Extreme Winds Recorded

Top 3 highest sustained and maximum recorded wind gusts during this PSPS event:

County		Max recorded sustained winds (mph)		Max recorded wind gusts (mph)
Sonoma		76		89
Napa		54		82
Contra Costa		55		74

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 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.

PG&E will submit a report detailing damage from the severe weather to the California Public Utilities Commission within 10 days of the completion of the PSPS.

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 23,000 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.