Mass Power Shutoffs in California Under Intense Scrutiny

You are probably well aware that PG&E’s proactive power shutoffs (called “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” or PSPS) are a hot topic throughout the entire electric utility industry.  Positioned as a “last resort” type of response to the state’s growing wildfire problem, the mass shutoffs have angered both customers and regulators alike.  But is there any better option? 

Why the Mass Power Shutoffs are Under Attack

In October 2019, following a PSPS that lasted for 4 days and affected 2 million customers, the President of the California PUC publicly stated that PG&E’s planned outages have “failed on so many levels.”  The main points of ire focus on the duration of this PSPS, lack of communication, and subpar coordination of the recovery.

Most industry pundits believe that the October PSPS was necessary, but the execution was lacking.  Simply put, PG&E – as well as the other California utilities – need to come up with better procedures to ensure that future mass power shutoffs are more efficient. And shorter. 

This is uncharted territory, so I believe there is something akin to a learning curve here.  The process will likely improve over time as PG&E learns how to make the power shutoffs less disruptive and more targeted in order to impact the lowest number of customers possible.  In fact, the company has already made some improvements, such as:

• Boosting website capabilities
• Committing to providing a liaison to all municipalities affected by a PSPS
• Creating a process to update outage maps in real time
• Increasing call center staffing during the mass power shutoffs
• Developing a process to provide regular updates to government agencies
• Improving its ability to forecast the duration of a PSPS
• Engaging in feasibility studies to determine if and how microgrids, equipment segregation, greater vegetation management, and power line coating could mitigate customer disruption

The bottom line is that mass power shutoffs are a last resort that negatively impact everyone, but I’d be inclined to cut PG&E some slack here.  The company is operating in a giant fireplace and it will take time for company decision makers to figure out the best way to deal with such an awful situation.  Give them time folks, give them time.