PG&E PSPS Update: More Than 228,000 Customers Have Been Restored by Tuesday Morning

Rhea-AI Summary

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) restored power to over 228,000 customers affected by a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that began on October 25. PG&E's crews inspected 17,000 miles of lines, identifying 36 instances of weather-related damage. The remaining customers are expected to have power restored by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. PG&E monitors dynamic weather conditions and follows a structured restoration process, including patrol, repair, and customer notification. Additionally, 106 Community Resource Centers were opened to assist affected customers.

Positive

• 228,000 customers have had power restored, significantly reducing outages.
• The restoration process is organized and efficient, with crews patrolling 17,000 miles for damage.
• Community Resource Centers provide essential services to affected customers.

Negative

• 36 instances of weather-related damage were identified, indicating potential service reliability issues.
• Restoration may be delayed for some customers due to significant damage.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) restored power Tuesday morning to more than 228,000 of the approximately 345,000 customers impacted by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that started Sunday morning on Oct. 25.

PG&E crews began restoring power to customers where no damage or hazards to electrical equipment were found during inspections 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 PM today. Following this all clear, PG&E crews are now beginning power restoration efforts in areas that are still out of power. These remaining customers are expected to have power back on by late Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning.

PG&E crews will have patrolled over 17,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines 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 36 identified instances of weather-related damage and hazards in the PSPS-affected areas. Examples include downed lines and vegetation on power lines. If PG&E had not de-energized power lines, these types of damage could have caused wildfire ignitions.

PSPS Restoration

PG&E has restored 228,000 customers as of this morning and expects all remaining customers to have power back on late Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning. 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 work to 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 information on the PSPS event, visit pge.com/pspsupdates.

Extreme Winds Recorded Across Service Area

Winds in de-energized areas due to PSPS were observed as follows:

County		Max recorded sustained winds (mph)		Max recorded wind gusts (mph)
Sonoma		76		89
Napa		54		82
Contra Costa		55		74
Lake		57		71
Placer		42		71
Alameda		52		66

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 to be 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 damages from the severe weather conditions to the California Public Utilities Commission within 10 days of the completion of the PSPS.

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

Community Resource Centers

To support our customers during this PSPS event, PG&E opened 106 Community Resource Centers (CRCs) that operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. throughout the event. These temporary CRCs will be open to customers when power is out at their homes and will provide ADA-accessible restrooms, hand-washing stations, medical-equipment charging, Wi-Fi, bottled water, grab-and-go bags, and non-perishable snacks. As of this morning, about 21,000 customers have visited a CRC.

PG&E updates its CRC locations regularly. Click here for updates.

Support for Customers with Medical Needs

PG&E is also partnering with 55 community-based organizations (CBOs) to assist customers with medical, financial, language, and aging needs before, during, and after PSPS events. These activities include:

• Collaborating with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) through a grant program to support the Access and Functional Needs (AFN) community. This support for customers with medical and independent living needs includes:
  • Enabling qualifying customers who use electrical medical devices to access backup portable batteries
  • Emergency preparedness outreach and education
  • Promotion of Medical Baseline Program
  • Accessible transportation resources
  • Hotel stays
  • Food stipends
• Working with 20 food banks and 17 local Meals on Wheels chapters.
• Expanding availability of materials in American Sign Language (ASL).
• Providing emergency information in 13 languages.
• Establishing an advisory group to help create solutions for emergency preparedness for customers with medical needs.

Details about these resources are at our website at pge.com/disabilityandaging 

Also, as of Oct. 27, PG&E provided approximately 1,700 portable batteries to customers to support backup power, including:

• Approximately 700 portable batteries provided to customers through CFILC’s Disability Disaster Access and Resources Program.
• Approximately 1,000 portable batteries provided to customers through PG&E’s Portable Battery Program.

Prevention, Preparedness and Support

It is important that PG&E has your current contact information so you can be notified and be better prepared if a wildfire or PSPS event may impact your home or business. To set up your alerts, visit pge.com/alerts.

With the increased wildfire threat our state faces, PG&E is enhancing and expanding our efforts to reduce wildfire risks and keep our customers and communities safe. Our Community Wildfire Safety Program includes short, medium and long-term plans to make our system safer. For tips on how to prepare for emergencies and outages, visit our Safety Action Center at safetyactioncenter.pge.com.

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.