Potential Early Monday PSPS Event: Forecasted High Winds and Dry Conditions Mean PG&E Might Need to Proactively Turn Off Power for Safety in Targeted…

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has notified customers in targeted portions of 15 counties and five tribal communities about a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) starting early Monday morning (Dec. 7). Dry conditions combined with expected high wind gusts pose an increased risk for damage to the electric system that has the potential to ignite fires in areas with dry vegetation.

High fire-risk conditions are expected to arrive late Sunday evening with high winds forecast to continue until into early Monday morning, peaking in strength during the day Monday, and possibly lingering in some regions through early Tuesday. Once the strong winds subside, PG&E crew will patrol the de-energized lines to ensure they were not damaged during the severe weather. PG&E will safely restore power as quickly as possible, with the goal of restoring most customers within 12 daylight hours, based on weather conditions.

While there is still uncertainty regarding the strength and timing of this weather wind event, the shutoff is forecasted to affect approximately 130,000 customers in targeted portions of 15 counties, including Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Lake, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, Sonoma, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yuba, as well as five tribal communities.

The highest probability areas for this PSPS are the Sierra foothills; the North Bay mountains and portions of the Central Coast. This is not expected to be a widespread event in the Bay Area at this time.

Potential Public Safety Power Shutoff: What People Should Know

The potential PSPS event is still more than two days away. PG&E in-house meteorologists as well as staff in its Wildfire Safety Operation Center and Emergency Operation Center will continue to monitor conditions closely, and additional customer notifications will be issued as we move closer to the potential event.

Customer notificationsvia text, email and automated phone callbegan late this afternoon, approximately two days prior to the potential shutoff. Customers enrolled in the companys Medical Baseline program who do not verify that they have received these important safety communications will be individually visited by a PG&E employee with a knock on their door when possible. A primary focus will be given to customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment.

Potentially Affected Customers

Here is a list of customers by county who could be potentially affected by this PSPS event.

*The following Tribal Community counts are included within the County level detail above.

Why PG&E Calls a PSPS Event

When extreme weather conditions are forecasted, PG&E considers proactively turning off power for safety, as such weather conditions increase the potential for damage and hazards to PG&Es electric infrastructure, which could cause sparks if lines are energized. These conditions also increase the potential for rapid fire spread.

State officials classify more than half of PG&Es 70,000-square-mile service area in Northern and Central California as having a high fire threat, given dry grasses and the high volume of dead and dying trees. The states high-risk areas have tripled in size over the last seven years.

No single factor drives a PSPS, as each situation is unique. PG&E carefully reviews a combination of criteria when determining if power should be turned off for safety. These factors generally include, but are not limited to:

Improved Watch and Warning Notifications

In response to customer feedback requesting more timely information to prepare for a potential PSPS event, PG&E will provide improved Watch and Warning notifications this year.

Whenever possible, an initial Watch notification will be sent two days in advance of a potential PSPS event. One day before the potential PSPS event, an additional Watch notification will go out, notifying customers of the possibility of a PSPS event in their area based on forecasted conditions.

A PSPS Watch will be upgraded to a Warning when forecasted conditions show that a safety shutoff will be needed. Whenever possible, Warning notifications will be sent approximately four to 12 hours in advance of the power being shut off.

Both Watch and Warning notifications are directly tied to the weather forecast, which can change rapidly.

As an example of how notifications have been improved in 2020, customers will see the date and time when power is estimated to be shut off as well as the estimated time for restoration. These notifications will be provided two days before the power goes out. Last year, the estimated time of restoration was not provided until after the power had been turned off.

Outage and Backup Power Safety

While backup power can be helpful during an outage, it can also pose safety hazards when not used correctly. Improper use can risk damage to your property, or endanger the lives of you, your family, or PG&E crews who may be working to restore power.

If you have a stand-by generator, make sure that its installed safely and inform PG&E to avoid risking damage to your property and endangering PG&E workers. Information on the safe installation of generators can be found on our website at http://www.pge.com/generator.

Heres Where to Go to Learn More

Smaller, Shorter, Smarter PSPS events

Learning from past PSPS events, PG&E has been making events smaller in size, shorter in length and smarter for customers in 2020.

Community Resource Centers Reflect COVID-Safety Protocols

The sole purpose of a PSPS is to reduce the risk of major wildfires during severe weather. While a PSPS is an important wildfire safety tool, PG&E understands that losing power disrupts lives, especially for customers sheltering-at-home in response to COVID-19.

During PSPS events, PG&E opens temporary Community Resource Centers (CRCs) to support our customers. These temporary CRCs are open to customers when power is out at their homes and provide ADA-accessible restrooms and hand-washing stations; medical-equipment charging; Wi-Fi; bottled water; and non-perishable snacks.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all CRCs follow important health and safety protocols including:

PG&Es CRCs in 2020 have been improved from those in 2019. In addition to using existing indoor facilities, PG&Es CRCs include outdoor, open-air sites in some locations and large commercial vans in other locations. CRC format will depend on a number of factors, including input from local and tribal leaders. Supplies are handed out in grab-and-go bags at outdoor CRCs so most customers can be on their way quickly.

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.

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Potential Early Monday PSPS Event: Forecasted High Winds and Dry Conditions Mean PG&E Might Need to Proactively Turn Off Power for Safety in Targeted...