Update: PG&E’s potential power shutoff shrinks to 11,000 customers in Central California
Update: On Sunday morning, PG&E released new figures showing that most of the customers projected to lose power due to high fire risk had been reduced to nearly 12,000 in five counties: Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Tulare and Tuolumne counties.
Original story:
It’s December, but conditions are so dry that Pacific Gas and Electric is planning to cut power to thousands of Californians next week to reduce the risk of starting a wildfire.
California’s largest utility said Friday a deliberate blackout is “likely” Monday in parts of 16 counties, including Placer, El Dorado, Yuba and Nevada.
On Saturday, PG&E tweaked its projections to reduce the total of customers affected, but added areas that were destroyed by the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, among others. The company said the changes came as shifting weather patterns eliminated Monterey and Sierra counties from the plan and added Butte, Kern and Plumas counties.
The “public safety power shutoff,” the sixth of the year, would affect an estimated 92,000 households and businesses, PG&E said.
The warning comes as a series of wildfires burn in Southern California and the National Weather Service said fire conditions are intensifying in Northern California, with winds forecast as high as 40 mph.
California endured the worst wildfire season on record this year, with more than 4 million acres burned. Meanwhile, the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly update compiled by several federal agencies, said 75% of California is experiencing drought-like conditions.
The deliberate blackouts are enormously controversial, but PG&E was driven into bankruptcy in 2019 after it faced billions of dollars in liabilities from a string of major wildfires. The company emerged from bankruptcy in June and has pledged to reduce fire risks. It also has implemented technological changes to narrow the geographical footprint of its power shutoffs.
The complete list of counties that could be affected by Monday’s blackout: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Kern, Lake, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sonoma, Tulare, Tuolumne and Yuba.
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 5:15 PM.