Some California utilities have developed systems to shut off power in targeted locations facing the worst wildfire risk. Pacific Gas & Electric is far behind, resulting in expansive outages.
Millions of Californians could spend days without power as the state’s largest utility continues shutting off electricity in a desperate attempt to avoid wildfires sparked by windblown power lines.
During those shutdowns, the San Diego operator never cut the power delivered through the large transmission lines that bring electricity to entire regions. It focused instead on the distribution lines that serve neighborhoods. And every inch of those lines is scheduled for inspection to make sure there is no damage that would prevent lines from being re-electrified. Doherty said initial reports suggest that at least some of the lines suffered damage from windblown trees or vegetation.
PG&E, in contrast, had virtually no weather-reporting outposts before the 2017 wildfires that burned vast stretches of wine country. It has since built 360 weather stations to enhance its data collection. “There is definitely a lot of progress being made, but it wasn’t happening as fast as we would have needed, going into this fire season,” the PUC’s Malashenko said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed the utility’s tenuous relationship with its customers at a news conference Thursday afternoon. “We faced a choice between a hardship for everyone and safety, and we chose safety,” said Johnson, who joined the company in April. “We’ll likely have to make this kind of decision again in the future.”
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