Overview of Potential Shutoffs

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced that approximately 70,000 customers across 29 counties in California may experience power shutoffs this week. The utility company aims to activate its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) measures starting from Wednesday through Saturday to mitigate the risk of its equipment igniting fires.

Reasons for Planned Outages

PG&E officials attribute the necessity for these shutoffs to heightened fire hazards resulting from dry and windy conditions. The most intense winds are expected in the Sierra, Southern Central Coast, and regions within the North Bay and East Bay.

“We’re still closely tracking exactly where we expect the storm to impact the most,” said Paul Moreno, a PG&E spokesperson.

Safety Precautions for Customers

The utility emphasizes that outages serve as a last resort to prevent overhead power lines or wind-damaged equipment from potentially sparking wildfires. In preparation, PG&E strives to notify customers at least two days in advance.

• Obtain dry ice to preserve food and medicinal items.
• Ensure electronic devices are charged.
• Have generators accessible if necessary.

Details of Affected Customers

Initially, PG&E estimated that about 30,000 customers would be impacted; however, this figure has now risen due to the extremely dry vegetation and increasing wind speeds.

The outages are expected to also affect:

• 3,920 Medical Baseline customers
• Five tribal governments

In a previous report, PG&E indicated that 4,000 customers who were affected by last weekend’s PSPS event may experience outages again. The company has also slightly adjusted its figures, with 5,700 customers being excluded from the updated shutoffs.

Updates and Ongoing Monitoring

As of 1:05 p.m. Tuesday, PG&E provided updates indicating that the planned shutoff will occur approximately 12 hours from the time of the notification, with potential adjustments as conditions evolve.