Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Electric Reliability
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
March 22, 2022
2Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Agenda and Introductions
Today we will cover:
How PG&E manages reliability
Electric circuits serving Richmond
Your outage history
Improving reliability
Supporting customers
PG&E is committed to providing safe,
reliable and affordable service and
laying the foundation to meet
customers' future energy needs.
2 3Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Responding to Outages and Improving Safety
Immediate Response
▪ When an outage starts, PG&E dispatches a
Troubleman to identify and isolate the issue,
restoring as many customers as possible.
▪ A crew completes emergency repairs and
upgrades and restores the remaining customers.
System Planning
▪ We review the previous day’s outages daily to
identify near-term system improvement projects.
▪ We also review trends on a weekly, monthly and
annual basis to identify near, medium, and long-
term system improvement projects.
3 4Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Types of Outages
We identify outage trends to help focus
our safety efforts through data review.
4 To understand trends and inform future
maintenance and construction work,
our reviews largely focus on sustained,
unplanned outages.
To view outages and find up-to-date information,
visit pge.com/outages or call us at 1-800-743-5000
Momentary or Sustained
▪ Momentary outages last less than five minutes. A patrol is not usually conducted, and the cause is often not identified.
▪ Sustained outages are any interruption that lasts more than five minutes.
Planned or Unplanned
▪ Planned outages allow for safe work on the circuit. Customers are notified in advance. Reasons might include system upgrades, maintenance, or work requested by a third party.
▪ Unplanned outages are when an emergency condition needs to be addressed to restore customers and/or help ensure public safety. 5Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Electric Circuits Serving the City of Richmond
PG&E’s El Cerrito G 1102 circuit serves communities in the cities of Richmond and El Cerrito. 8 miles of
overhead conductor
2,308 customers
are provided electric service
8 miles of
underground conductor
Outage History
A Nov. 20, 2021
Switch level outage
due to 3rd party
B Dec. 21, 2021
OCB level outage due
overhead equipment
failure – repairs completed
C Jan. 12, 2022
OCB level outage due to
underground equipment
failure – repairs completed
6Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
How Customers Are Served in the City of Richmond
El Cerrito G
CIRCUIT CUSTOMER COUNT*
SUBSTATION J 1117 1
MIRA VISTA 0401 1,858
MIRA VISTA 0403 653
SUBSTATION G 1101 2,059
SUBSTATION G 1102 1,908
SUBSTATION G 1105 50
SUBSTATION G 1106 633
SUBSTATION G 1108 1
SUBSTATION G 1109 168
SUBSTATION G 1110 1
SUBSTATION G 1111 1,344
SUBSTATION G 1112 703
SUBSTATION G 1113 5
SUBSTATION G 1114 933
SUBSTATION Q 0401 1,333
SUBSTATION Q 0402 696
FAIRMONT 0402 712
BARRETT 0401 1,785
BARRETT 0402 1,536
BROOKSIDE 0401 119
VALLEY VIEW 1105 1,072
VALLEY VIEW 1106 1,406
SAN PABLO 1105 2,990
*Customer counts are approximate
This map is for informational purposes only, is not to scale and includes additional circuits not listed on this slide.
CIRCUIT CUSTOMER COUNT*
WALDO 0401 396
RICHMOND 1118 543
RICHMOND 1119 1,401
RICHMOND 1120 144
RICHMOND 1121 1,221
RICHMOND 1122 352
RICHMOND 1123 49
RICHMOND 1124 681
RICHMOND 1125 2,294
RICHMOND 1126 440
RICHMOND 1127 2,266
RICHMOND 1128 1,672
RICHMOND 1129 394
RICHMOND 1130 2,677
WALL 0401 112
VIRGINIA 0401 852
FRANKLIN 1101 1
POINT PINOLE 1101 888
POINT PINOLE 1102 1,395
VALLEY VIEW 1103 1,339
SAN PABLO 1106 2,224
Customers in Richmond generally get their power
from 33 circuits coming from 14 substations.
7Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Improving Reliability
We are improving reliability in your city
through short-, mid- and long-term projects.
1 2
3 4
Mid-Term
▪ New reliability project to
improve sectionalizing
capabilities in 2022
▪ Installing one line recloser
▪ Installing three overhead
fuses
5 Short-Term
▪ New overhead fuse
installed on Jan. 12, 2022
6 7
Long-Term
▪ New asset replacement
project involving overhead
reconductoring in 2023
▪ New reliability project to add
FLISR scheme to Richmond
R1125 and El Cerrito G 1102
circuits in 2023
8Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Safety Efforts in 2022
This year, we plan to continue our Insulator Washing and Replacement Program and pro-active efforts to enhance electric equipment. 8 Crews manually washing
electric power pole insulators
Crews conducting system
hardening project
Insulator Washing and Replacement Program
poles washed*
~15,430
This work is occurring on
circuits at a higher risk of
ignitions and wildfire risk
Strengthening Electric Equipment
Replacing wood
crossarms and
ceramic insulators
This work will help to improve
public safety and reduce
customer impacts
9Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Planned Maintenance and Construction
This year, we plan to address ~1,100
tags across PG&E’s East Bay Division
Electric tag work includes:
Equipment upgrades
Maintenance
Urgent and emergency issues, as needed
We are increasing our crew counts
to perform this work and improve customer safety.
We appreciate your continued partnership as we work
together to improve PG&E’s service to businesses and residents in the City of Richmond.
10Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Routine Vegetation Management Work
For illustrative purposes only
Routine Vegetation Management
▪ A clearance of 4 feet around powerlines in high fire-threat areas with recommended minimum clearances of 12 feet or more at time of prune to ensure compliance year-round.
▪ The recommendation is based on maintaining the 4 feet clearance during various site and weather conditions (e.g., wind, heat) and tree growth rates in between yearly
inspections.
▪ The rate of tree growth can depend on:
Our annual vegetation management program around
electric distribution lines includes:
• Species
• Irrigation
• Proximity to water sources
▪ Our routine work also includes pruning or cutting down dead, diseased, dying and defective trees.
• Annual precipitation
• Light exposure
• Soil conditions
For illustrative purposes only
Customer Resources
12Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Backup Power Meter Support
PG&E has developed a new meter program to
help our customers safely power their homes
during emergency outages.
The program provides a safe way for customers
to connect generator power to their homes.
The power is delivered directly to the circuit
breaker when you connect the generator to the
meter and will also eliminate any power cords
running through your home.
Be sure to start the generator at a safe location
and program to your home specifics.
This program also provides an affordable
solution for customers who are unable to afford
solar or backup battery systems.
When utility power returns:
01 Turn off your generator
02 Adjust your breaker panel to set all circuit
to the “on” position
03 Unplug the cord from the generator to
disconnect from the meter
13Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
PG&E Report It Safety Mobile App
The new “PG&E Report It” safety app allows customers to submit photos of non-emergency potential safety concerns with our electric system.
Use Report It to:
Learn about the types of issues to report
Submit photos directly to our safety team
Find safety concerns submitted by other users
Review PG&E’s findings
Customers will also receive notifications when their
concern is being reviewed and when it has been resolved.
More Information: Together, we can further reduce the
risk of wildfires and keep our communities safe. To learn more about PG&E Report It, visit
pge.com/reportit
Sample App Prototype
Access is limited: While anyone can download the app, during the pilot submitting concerns is intended only for customers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 High Fire Threat Districts. Invitations via email, postcard and bill insert have been sent. If you have not received an invitation, join the waitlist at pge.com/reportit to get notified when we add more users.
14Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Supporting Customers with Resources and Updates
Notifying Customers of Outages
We will share updates about when you can
expect power to return. Outages are
triggered automatically due to a safety
threat, therefore we are unable to provide
advance notification.
Reducing Customer Impacts by:
▪ Providing better notifications
▪ Fine-tuning device sensitivity
▪ Reducing the length, frequency and
number of customers impacted
▪ Expanding customer resource eligibility
How Customers Can Prepare for Outages
Update Contact
Information
Receive outage and restoration
notifications
pge.com/myalerts
Explore Backup
Power Options
Determine the right solution and
generator rebate qualifications
pge.com/backuppower
Stay Up-to-Date
View outages and
restoration times
pge.com/outages
PG&E’S OUTAGE MAPDuring hot and dry summer
conditions. These conditions are most
likely from May to November.
When Are EPSS Outages Most Likely to Occur?
15Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
For more
information
To view webinar slides and recordings, visit
More Information and Tools For Customers to Prepare
BEFORE PSPS AND EPSS OUTAGES
▪ See if you qualify for backup power support at
pge.com/backuppower.
▪ Apply for the Medical Baseline Program to receive energy savings and extra outreach before a PSPS at pge.com/medicalbaseline. ▪ Self-identify for Vulnerable Customer Status if your life or health would be at risk should electric or gas service be disconnected at pge.com/vulnerable.
Generator rebates
for customers who
rely on well water
Portable batteries for
Medical Baseline customers
in high fire risk areas
▪ Find Community Resource Centers to charge devices and get basic supplies during a PSPS event at pge.com/crc.
▪ Replace lost food at your local food bank during and up to three days after an outage, visit pge.com/pspsresources.
▪ Prepare an emergency plan including portable backup power, hotel accommodations and accessible transportation at
disabilitydisasteraccess.org. *Translated support available
DURING PSPS OUTAGES
Visit PG&E’s YouTube Channel
To view more safety information, tips to be prepared
and other resources
www.youtube.com/user/pgevideo
pge.com/firesafetywebinars
Visit pge.com/wildfiresafety
Call us at 1-866-743-6589*
Email us at [email protected]
Questions?
Thank You