PSPS Updates for Week of July 15

Update - Saturday, July 20, 11:25 p.m. 

PG&E has restored power to essentially all customers experiencing a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).

This PSPS event began Saturday afternoon, July 20, and affected approximately 220 customers across small portions of Alameda, Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties. The weather conditions included maximum wind gusts over 40 mph and relative humidity below 20%.

Some customers who received notification of a possible PSPS were not affected when the anticipated weather conditions did not materialize in certain areas and received notifications if the PSPS event in their area was cancelled.

Update - Saturday, July 20, 4:30 p.m. 

As of 4:00 p.m., PG&E has turned off power for safety to approximately 220 customers in small portions of  Alameda, Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties.  

For the remaining customers who had received notices about the potential PSPS this weekend, their power has not been shut off. PG&E expects to have a weather “all clear” tonight, at which point we will begin patrols, assess for any damage, make repairs and restore service for impacted customers.  

All customers impacted by this PSPS are expected to have their service restored by/on tomorrow morning.  

Customers who have their power shut off: 

• ALAMEDA: 96 customers 
• CONTRA COSTA: 62 customers   
• SAN JOAQUIN: 56 customers 

Customers still in scope, but not currently impacted: 

• ALAMEDA: 66 customers 
• CONTRA COSTA: 266 customers 
• FRESNO: 3 customers 
• MERCED: 50 customers 
• SAN BENITO: 193 customers 
• SAN JOAQUIN: 53 customers  

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Update - Saturday, July 20, 7 a.m. 

Friday evening, due to an improvement in weather forecast models, 15,000 customers and one county (Stanislaus) were removed from the scope of Saturday's potential PSPS event. PG&E contacted those customers Friday night via text, email and automated phone call to inform them they were no longer potentially impacted.

Currently, approximately 850 customers in targeted portions of six counties remain in scope for this potential event:

ALAMEDA: 162 customers 
CONTRA COSTA: 328 customers 
FRESNO: 3 customers 
MERCED: 50 customers 
SAN BENITO: 193 customers 
SAN JOAQUIN: 109 customers 

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Initial Post - Friday, July 20, 12:45 p.m.

PG&E meteorologists and operations professionals are monitoring a potential high wind event forecasted to start mid-Saturday morning. Given the wind event and current conditions, including dry vegetation and low humidity, PG&E has sent advanced notifications to customers—via text, email and automated phone call—in targeted areas where PG&E may need to proactively turn power off for safety to reduce the risk of wildfire from energized powerlines.

The potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event is expected to start around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, with winds continuing throughout the day. PG&E anticipates beginning patrols and restoring customers as early as Saturday evening. Approximately 16,000 customers in small portions of seven counties would be impacted.

Conditions may change following the distribution of this media alert. PG&E’s in-house meteorologists, as well as its Emergency Operations Center and its Hazard Awareness & Warning Center (HAWC), continue to closely monitor conditions. We will share additional customer notifications as conditions evolve.

PG&E representatives will make individual, in-person visits, when possible, to customers enrolled in the company’s Medical Baseline Program who do not verify they have received these important safety communications, with a primary focus on customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment.

Potentially Affected Customers, Counties

Customers can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

The potential shutoff is currently expected to affect approximately 16,000 customers across the following counties:

· Alameda County: 163 customers

· Contra Costa County: 328 customers

· Fresno County: 3 customers

· Merced County: 3,979 customers

· San Benito County: 193 customers

· San Joaquin County: 6,352 customers

· Stanislaus County: 5,028 customers

Here’s what PG&E customers should know:

Why PG&E Calls a PSPS Event

PG&E initiates PSPS when the fire-weather forecast is severe enough that people’s safety, lives, homes and businesses may be in danger of wildfires. Our overarching goal is to stop catastrophic wildfires by proactively turning off power when extreme weather threatens our electric grid. We recognize that PSPS outages create hardships for our customers and communities. Our sole focus is to keep our customers safe.

As each weather situation is unique, we carefully review a combination of factors when deciding if power must be turned off. These factors include but are not limited to:

· Low humidity levels, generally 30% and below.

· A forecast of high winds, particularly sustained winds above 19 miles per hour and wind gusts above 30-40 miles per hour.

· Condition of dry material on the ground and low moisture content of vegetation.

· A Red Flag Warning declared by the National Weather Service.

· Real-time ground observations from our crews working across the service area.

This set of criteria is a first step which may lead to further analysis by our meteorology team to determine if a PSPS event is necessary.

Here’s Where to Learn More

· PG&E’s emergency website (www.pge.com/pspsupdates) is now available in 16 languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Farsi, Arabic, Hmong, Khmer, Punjabi, Japanese, Thai, Portuguese and Hindi. Customers have the opportunity to choose their language of preference for viewing the information when visiting the website.

· Customers are encouraged to update their contact information and indicate their preferred language for notifications by visiting www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-800-743-5000, where in-language support is available.

· Tenants and non-account holders can sign up to receive PSPS ZIP Code Alerts for any area they you do not have a PG&E account by visiting www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

· At PG&E’s Safety Action Center (www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com) customers can prepare for emergencies. By using the "Make Your Own Emergency Plan" tool and answering a few short questions, visitors to the website can compile and organize the important information needed for a personalized family emergency plan. This includes phone numbers, escape routes and a family meeting location if an evacuation is necessary.

PG&E's Commitment to Wildfire Safety

Using advanced technologies and rebuilding the electric system from the underground up, we are preventing wildfires, improving reliability and reducing costs over the long term. We are building the energy grid of the future that our customers deserve while also taking immediate steps to keep customers safe.

Our wildfire prevention work relies on layers of protection to make our system safer and more resilient while positioning us to better serve our customers in the short and long term. These tools help us respond to our state’s evolving climate challenges:

· Our 10,000-mile Undergrounding Program is the largest effort in the U.S. to underground powerlines as a wildfire risk reduction measure.

· In addition to undergrounding, we are strengthening the electric system with stronger poles and covered powerlines in and near high fire-risk areas.

· Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) decrease ignitions and provide wildfire protection to all customers living in high fire-risk areas.

· We are managing trees and other vegetation located near powerlines that could cause a power outage and/or ignition.

· We are also investing in advanced tools and technologies like artificial intelligence and drones that help us automate fire detection and response.