PG&E Continues to Make Progress on Electric and Gas Restoration in Communities Impacted by Northern California Wildfires
October 14 2017 - 8:00PM
Business Wire
In response to the unprecedented wind-driven wildfires occurring
in Northern California, more than 3,000 Pacific Gas and Electric
Company (PG&E) employees and mutual-aid partners are working
hard to restore electric and gas service to customers. As
restoration efforts continue around the clock, PG&E is
maintaining an absolute focus on customer and public safety and
supporting firefighting efforts on these intense wind-fueled
wildfires.
“Many of our friends, neighbors, family members and colleagues
have been deeply impacted by these wildfires. The pain and
heartache that they are experiencing is profound, and we share in
their grief. All of us at PG&E stand right beside them as they
face this challenge,” said Nick Stavropoulos, President and Chief
Operating Officer of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. “We would
like to extend our deepest gratitude to the thousands of
firefighters and first responders who are working around the clock
to contain and extinguish the wildfires. Their efforts have been
remarkable and nothing short of heroic.”
Electric Progress
Since Monday, October 9, PG&E has restored power to more
than 93 percent of homes and businesses that have lost power during
the wildfires. Crews made good progress on Friday with electric
restoration. However, due to fires in and around Sonoma, an
additional 4,000 customers lost service overnight. Currently, there
are 26,000 electric customers without power in the fire-effected
areas, down from 29,000 on Friday morning.
Gas Progress
Since Monday, October 9, to protect customer and public safety,
PG&E has proactively turned off gas service to about 42,000
customers in the affected areas of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino
counties. During Friday and overnight, PG&E restored gas
service to approximately 4,100 customers. That brings a total of
gas customers restored since the beginning of the event to roughly
13,000. Nearly 900 crew members are working in support of
restoration efforts and pilot relights in areas where it’s safe to
do so. Currently, there are 29,000 gas customers without
service.
Support
The company continues to dispatch workers, supplies and
equipment from its base camps in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake
counties. Crews from other utilities are also temporarily
augmenting PG&E’s workforce as part of a mutual-aid
agreement.
Electric Restoration Process
- Once crews have been given permission
to enter an area by CalFIRE, PG&E crews begin the electric
assess, repair and restoration process.
- Once safe, the first step is damage
assessment. Typically, this occurs within 12 to 24 hours.
- PG&E workers will be on-site to
make the area safe by isolating electrical hazards. The next steps
are equipment repairs and coordinated restoration.
- Based on needed repairs and time to
compete work, an estimated time for restoration is established and
communicated to customers.
- Prior to safely re-energizing homes and
businesses, PG&E will inspect adjacent facilities and ensure
locations are safe to receive power.
- Where safe to do so and access is
allowed, restoring service will typically take 48-72 hours
depending on the extent of damage and complexity of the work.
- Repopulation decisions to areas or
neighborhoods are made by local law enforcement.
Gas Restoration Process
- Once crews have been given permission
to enter an area by CalFIRE, PG&E crews begin the gas
restoration process.
- Once PG&E gains access to homes and
businesses, gas crews check the meter. Then, PG&E works to
identify structures that are safe to restore service and those that
have sustained too much damage to safely restore service.
Assessments begin immediately and typically occur within 24 hours
of gaining access.
- Because customers’ gas service was
turned off, the pipeline system must be purged to remove any air
and ensure that natural gas is safely delivered to every
structure.
- Next, the system must be resupplied
with gas and tested to make sure it is safe.
- PG&E gas workers visit every
home or business where gas may be safely restored to turn the meter
on, purge the pipe within the structure, check for leaks and ensure
every pilot is relit for safe operation.
- Repopulation decisions to areas or
neighborhoods are made by local law enforcement.
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 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.
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