Following each Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), PG&E submits a report to the CPUC in California. We also report on our ongoing work to establish best practices for PSPS events, strengthen community readiness and regional cooperation, and implement cutting-edge technology solutions to enhance public safety. Approximately 30,000 customer metres might be affected by Portland General Electric’s announcement that it is monitoring severe, high-risk fire conditions and is increasingly likely to order a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in 10 regions that are at higher fire risk. In order to safeguard lives, property, and the environment from potential wildfire damage, PGE may initiate a Protective Service Power Shutoff (PSPS) in a specific, high-risk location.
PGE is keeping a close eye on the situation and will make a call based on criteria including the velocity of the wind, the temperature, the humidity, the dryness of the trees and bushes, and data gathered from the field and from local fire departments and agencies. Following the following 24 to 48 hours, PGE will offer an update on the situation. PGE will attempt to give up to four hours’ warning before cutting off the electricity if the circumstances persist. PGE’s service region is expected to see severe, gusty winds beginning as early as Friday morning, according to weather projections.
According to Larry Bekkedahl, PGE’s senior vice president of Advanced Energy Delivery, “PGE works year-round to help maintain our system safe and resilient from wildfire by managing approximately 2.2 million trees along 12,000 miles of power lines.” However, we anticipate high winds that may result in service interruptions outside of our PSPS service zones. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will dispatch repair personnel to the affected areas. The map below displays the 10 PSPS zones. It is recommended that customers in these locations visit portlandgeneral.com/psps to see whether their electricity may be affected. Preparedness material was emailed to customers and is also accessible on PGE’s website, and the company strongly recommends that anybody who might be affected by a PSPS or weather-related outage do so.
In the event of a PSPS, PGE will turn off electricity for as long as it takes to mitigate the potential for fire in these regions. When properly maintained, a PSPS can keep going for several days. PGE plans to physically assess its equipment and make any repairs needed to properly re-energize lines once weather conditions return to normal. PGE predicts that a PSPS may be issued on Friday morning and that customers may be without power until Saturday night. If this storm lasts as long as expected and there is no damage to our infrastructure, we might have power restored to consumers by Monday night. Community Resource Centers are planned for these regions in case PGE issues a PSPS, and they will serve as hubs of information, water, ice, Wi-Fi, and electronic device charging. Future updates will include more details.
Customers in the affected regions are receiving updates directly from PGE, and the company is also sharing information via the media, its website (portlandgeneral.com/psps), and social media accounts (@PortlandGeneral on Twitter and @PortlandGeneralElectric on Facebook).
Information Maintenance for the Clientele
Visitors to PG&E’s online outage centre can search by address, city, or county to see where power is currently off. Support for 16 additional languages has been added to this site. Customers can also choose to get alerts about service interruptions through text messages, email, or voice calls. When an outage occurs, PG&E will notify its customers of the reason for the outage, the projected time until the power is restored, and when power has been restored.
In order to assist affected consumers, PG&E is working with local organisations. Through the Disability Disaster Access and Resources Program, PG&E and the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers help seniors and others with disabilities. And there’s also the 2-1-1 California Network, which helps people find community services in their area.
