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PG&E reports on enhanced Community Wildfire Safety Program, plans to reduces impacts of power shutoffs
The company said the plan expands and enhances its comprehensive Community Wildfire Safety Program, which was designed to address the growing threat of extreme weather and wildfires across its service area.
PG&E’s 2020 Wildfire Mitigation Plan is subject to public review and approval by the CPUC.
The 2020 Wildfire Mitigation Plan will continue expanded key safety work including new grid technology, hardening of the electric system, accelerated inspections of electric infrastructure, enhanced vegetation management around power lines, and real-time monitoring and situational awareness tools to better understand how severe weather can impact PG&E’s system.
PG&E’s 2020 plan includes changes to make public safety power shutoff, or PSPS, events smaller in scope and shorter in duration and to lessen the overall impacts of shutoffs while working to keep customers and communities safe during times of severe weather and high wildfire risk.
As part of the plans, PG&E said it is installing 592 automated sectionalizing devices on distribution lines with the aim of reducing the number of communities without power during a PSPS event and adding 23 transmission switches capable of redirecting power and keeping substations and transmission lines energized in some areas during a PSPS event.
The company said it also will work with local communities to operationalize additional microgrids that will allow customers and essential community services to stay energized during a PSPS event, it will expand its ability to provide backup power to some critical service providers, such as major transportation thoroughfares, water systems, medical centers and fire departments, and enhance meteorology technology for more precise PSPS events.
Other plans include increasing its helicopter fleet from 35 to 65 to patrol lines after a weather event has passed, using two fixed-wing aircrafts with infrared cameras capable of inspecting transmission lines at night, deploying additional field crews to patrol, inspect and repair power lines after a weather event has passed, and working closely with local, state and tribal officials to better coordinate for PSPS events.
The company said it will bolster its website and call center resources and continue to make improvements to information and resources available, will improve customer notifications about when power will be shut off for safety and when customers can expect it to be restored, work with local communities to improve the locations, availability and resources provided at community resource centers, and hosting a series of information open houses and webinars to provide information to customers and communities about systematic improvements and PSPS preparedness.
“We know how much our customers rely on electric service. Proactively turning off power disrupts lives and presents its own safety risks, which need to be carefully considered and addressed,” said Debbie Powell, vice president, asset & risk management, Community Wildfire Safety Program. “Turning off power for safety is not how we strive to serve our customers, and we are committed to reducing the impacts without compromising safety.”
PG&E’s 2020 Wildfire Mitigation Plan describes forecasted work and investments that will be executed this year to help further reduce the potential for wildfire ignitions associated with its electrical equipment in high fire-threat areas.
The plan addresses an array of wildfire risk factors through new and ongoing measures.
Among the safety steps and actions to be taken this year include:
– Pruning or removing more than one million trees to keep them away from power lines;
– Installing more than 240 miles of stronger and more resilient poles and covered power lines, along with targeted undergrounding;
– Adding approximately 400 new weather stations this year, which will keep PG&E on track to add a total of 1,300 new weather stations by 2021, a density of one station roughly every 20 circuit-miles in the high fire-risk areas;
– Installing nearly 200 new, high-definition cameras in high fire-threat areas, which will keep PG&E on track to add a total of 600 by 2022, increasing coverage across high fire-risk areas to more than 90 percent of its service area; and
– Coordinating prevention and response efforts by monitoring wildfire risks in real-time from the Wildfire Safety Operations Center.