PG&E using Generators to Serve Plumas County

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August 11, 2021

To Restore Plumas County Power More Quickly, PG&E Using Generators to Serve Customers While Power Lines Rebuilt

To restore power quickly to Plumas County impacted by the Dixie Fire, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is using temporary generation and rebuilding power lines damaged by fire.

As access to burn areas is granted, PG&E is taking several actions to restore service in the area, including:
• Patrolling lines by air or ground to identify damage.
• Pre-treating utility poles with fire retardant in advance of possible fire spread.
• Removing damaged equipment from roads, cutting fire-damaged trees along power line corridors, and rebuilding poles and power lines, including temporary structures to speed up restoration for customers.
Nearly 400 PG&E employees and contractors are working to restore power in Plumas County.

On Monday (Aug. 9) PG&E crews completed repairs to power lines serving the Bucks Lake area and restored service to more than 300 customers. In the town of Quincy, PG&E set up large mobile generators at substations to keep power to critical customers, including the hospital, emergency agencies, water and sewer systems, as well as businesses and residents.

PG&E is also using temporary generators to power key buildings in Greenville, such as the high school, a grocery store, and the water system. The company continues to expand the use of temporary generation throughout Plumas County to serve customers that can safely accept power.

Currently, about 2,400 PG&E customers are without power in Plumas County.

As the Dixie Fire is still active, it’s difficult to predict when all power will be restored through temporary generation or rebuilt power lines. PG&E will continue to restore power to customers as conditions permit. PG&E will notify customers of estimated day/time of restoration once plans are in place. PG&E will also be doing regular outreach through social media channels to provide updates.

Meanwhile, PG&E is actively rebuilding poles and power lines in areas where PG&E can safely work. As power lines serving substations are repaired and re-energized, the generators can be disconnected.

As part of PG&E’s commitment to underground 10,000 miles of power lines in high fire threat areas throughout its service area, PG&E is evaluating areas in Plumas County for underground power lines. Because undergrounding takes much longer to build than overhead power lines, some overhead lines will be rebuilt to serve customers in the interim period until undergrounding is possible.

In recognition of the devasting impacts of the Dixie Fire, on Monday, Aug. 9, PG&E announced it would contribute $300,000 to the American Red Cross for shelter activations and other services for displaced, impacted residents. This is part of PG&E’s $750,000 donation to the organization for emergency preparedness and disaster response. PG&E also contributed to local agencies like the Lost Sierra Food Project and the Almanor Wildlife Relief Fund, and provided towels and bedding for the evacuation center at Lassen Community College.

If customers have questions about power restoration, they can visit www.pge.com/outages or call 800-743-5002.