How California’s Utilities Plan to Stop Wildfires This Year

Mark Chediak

31 May 2019, 09:45 AM IST

(Bloomberg) -- California's major utilities were approved to take extensive measures that, if all goes according to plan, will keep their power lines from sparking catastrophic wildfires.

The efforts include a controversial plan to cut power to potentially millions of homes and businesses when winds are strong and may knock down power lines this summer. The move comes after PG&E Corp.'s equipment ignited the deadliest fire in California history, killing 85 people and destroying an entire town in November. The costs of that blaze and prior ones proved so large that the utility giant ended up filing for bankruptcy in January.

Here are the other measures the California Public Utilities Commission approved companies to take ahead of the wildfire season:

More Shutoffs

The commission also cleared shut-off plans for Edison International’s Southern California Edison and Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric. They'd cover smaller territories than the ones PG&E may carry out. The commission issued guidelines for these service disruptions, including using them only as a ``last resort'' and coordinating with state and local agencies.

People who live in high fire threat areas ``should not count on getting a warning or having a reliable supply of electricity,'' the commission's president, Michael Picker, said during its meeting Thursday.

Tree Trimmings

Utilities have always been required to trim the leaves and branches around their power lines, but California approved them to step up these efforts and clear the brush around thousands of miles of power lines that cross high fire threat areas.

Inspections, Monitoring

They're also planning to keep a closer eye on their systems and the weather by, among other things, installation ``weather stations'' and high-definition cameras to monitor their grids. And they're increasing equipment inspections and repairs ahead of the wildfire season.

Hardening the Grid

As part of their plans, utilities will have to take measures to ``harden'' their power grids, including replacing wooden poles, installing stronger, fire-resistant ones and covering power lines.

PG&E's plan alone may cost as much as $2.3 billion. The commission hasn't approved the costs tied to the plans and said it'll review the expenses at a later date.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Chediak in San Francisco at mchediak@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6@bloomberg.net