Pacific Gas and Electric Company
City of San Pablo Local Government Forum
November 20, 2023
Safety
Preparedness Tips
Always be prepared in case of a
natural disaster or an emergency
Build a disaster supply kit for you,
your family or your business
Be sure to include food, water,
medication, flashlights, first aid kits, a
list of emergency contacts and more
Visit safetyactioncenter .pge.com to
help prepare for an emergency
3Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Topics For Discussion
1 Capacity
2 Identifying and Reducing Wildfire Risk
3 Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings
4 Public Safety Power Shutoffs
5 Customer Resources
6 Open Discussion
Capacity
5Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Better Serving Our Customers
*Includes demand-sale load management and distributed energy resources We are increasing capacity and making it easier to connect new services to better serve customers and help California achieve its affordable housing, economic development and clean energy goals.
Expanding Capacity
We’re investing more than ever:
~$1 BILLION in capacity
between 2015 - 2021
~$15 BILLION in capacity and
asset health in the next decade plus
10-YEAR infrastructure plan to
meet all capacity needs*
Connecting New Customers
We’re meeting the growing need of 125K+ annual service applications by:
▪ Decreasing the customer application timeline by almost half ▪ Reducing project estimation times from six months to one ▪ Dedicating a full-time team to applications
▪ Partnering with the California Building Industry Association to create technical and advisory committees
▪ Collaborating with Stanford University on process-design enhancements We are also partnering with state and regulators for their support in making timely rate-case decisions, funding capacity workload and improving customer affordability. 6Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
PG&E system is
now capable of
handling new
capacity
Ensuring Capacity for New Customers
*Application must include:
• Load sheets
• Site plans
• Elevation plans
• Diagrams
• Spec sheets
Customer submits an
application/job
package* to PG&E
New customer
requires
electric power
Conducts
reinforcements
and upgrades
If large customer
PG&E performs large
load studies,
as needed
Planning Department
reviews applications for
normal and large
customers
Identifies if
reinforcements or
upgrades to their
system are needed
PG&E has a robust process for ensuring there is sufficient capacity to support new customers.
NEW CUSTOMER PG&E
7Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Our Plan To Provide For Our Customers
Our Capacity Workplan Will:
▪ Addressing current, high-level capacity escalations
▪ Communicating options and timelines to customers
▪ Building and executing a multi-year capacity plan
▪ Securing non-traditional funding
Our Workplan Objectives:
Deliver for our customers
Help us meet our shared
climate goals
Build the capacity needed for a
clean and resilient energy system
Identifying and Reducing
Wildfire Risk
9Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Wildfire Risk in San Pablo
PG&E’s high fire-risk area
map helps us target wildfire
mitigation efforts in the
areas and communities at
highest risk.
High fire-risk area
City of San Pablo
10Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Layers of Wildfire Protection
Using the latest technologies
and equipment
Keeping trees and branches
away from powerlines
Installing stronger powerlines
and poles
Ensuring safety with enhanced
protection and temporary outages
Undergrounding 10,000 miles of
powerlines in highest fire-risk areas
Together,
These layers
reduce wildfire
risk from
equipment
11Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Keeping Trees Away from Powerlines
When trees are too close
to powerlines, they can cause
a power outage or a wildfire.
That’s why each year we:
Inspect ~100,000 miles of powerlines
Trim or cut down more than 1 million
trees that pose a safety concern
Address dead, dying or hazard trees
12Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Sending advance notifications to impacted
property owners before work begins
Inspecting for potential safety concerns
Trimming or cutting down trees as needed
for safety
Chipping small debris and placing larger
wood in a safe location on site
Conducting safety and quality checks
through follow-up inspections
What to Expect During this Work
1 2
3 4
5 Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings
14Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
How It Works
Turning off power within one-tenth of a second if
a tree branch or other object strikes the line.
Why We Do It
Stopping wildfires
before they have a
chance to start.
SAFETY SETTINGS IN ACTION IN NAPA COUNTY
Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings: A Technology To Prevent Wildfires Data is approximate; *Based on 2022 performance for CPUC-reportable ignitions in HFTD compared to 2018-2020 weather-normalized performance; **Relative to the 2018-2020 average
68%
99%
reduction in
fire size**
68%
reduction in
ignitions*
15Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Safety Settings, Step-By-Step
16Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
What Customers Can Expect
Customers can find information on the status of an outage and the restoration process at pge.com/outages
Public Safety Power Shutoffs
18Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
What is a Public Safety Power Shutoff?
High winds can cause tree
branches and debris to contact
energized electric lines,
damage our equipment and
cause a wildfire.
To prevent wildfires, we may
need to turn off power as a
last resort.
19Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
What Conditions Could Lead to a PSPS?
Low humidity
levels of 30%
and below
Forecasted high
winds above
19 mph and gusts
above 30-40 mph
Condition of dry
material on the
ground and low
moisture content
of vegetation
A Red Flag
Warning issued
by the National
Weather Service
On-the-ground,
real-time
observations
20Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Warning
Watch
How Are Customers Notified for a PSPS?
Automated calls, texts and emails
(available in 16 languages).
We will also use pge.com, social media and
will inform local news and radio.
How We’ll Notify
@pacificgasandelectric
@PGE4Me
@pacificgasandelectric
Enroll at: pge.com/addressalerts
How To Receive Notifications
For Any Address
Annual registration is required.
Anyone can sign up for address
alerts in 16 languages to receive
PSPS notifications for any location,
such as their work or child’s school.
When We’ll Notify
48-24 hours before power is turned off
4-1 hours before power is turned off
When power is turned off
After weather has passed
If estimated restoration time changes
Daily until power has been restored
21Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Differences Between Safety Settings and PSPS
Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Updates and information for both planned and unplanned outages: pge.com/outages Enhanced Powerline
Safety Settings (EPSS)
Public Safety Power
Shutoffs (PSPS)
WHY
Automatically turning off power within one-
tenth of a second if a problem is detected on
the line
Proactively turning off power to prevent tree
branches and debris from contacting
energized lines
WHEN
Elevated wildfire risk is present, most likely
from May to November, but can occur
year-round
During times of high winds, low humidity and
dry vegetation
NOTIFICATIONS
Regular updates after the outage occurs;
advance notice cannot be provided because
these are reactive and automatic settings
In advance through automated calls, texts,
and emails with updates provided until power
is restored
vs.
Customer Resources
23Some of the measures included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce the risk of wildfires.
Customer Resources
Dedicated wildfire safety contacts: Hotline: 1-866-743-6589 | Email: [email protected] Information on wildfire
prevention efforts
Wildfire Safety
pge.com/wildfiresafety
Free and confidential
support and resources via
calls or texts to 211
California
Network of 211
211ca.org
Submit photos of
non-emergency potential
safety concerns
Report It App
pge.com/reportit
Create an emergency
safety plan to keep you
and your family safe
Safety Action Center
safetyactioncenter.pge.com
Open Discussion
Thank You