PG&E Cited in Stanford Woods Institute Report as One of Top Western Utilities for Wildfire Readiness

PG&E’s wildfire safety efforts have been recognized for exemplifying the highest level of preparedness in a new report by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. The report analyzes the increased risk that wildfires pose to citizens and communities, and the preparedness efforts that more than 40 utilities across 13 Western states are taking in response.

The report, “Wildfire: Assessing and Quantifying Risk Exposure and Mitigation Across Western Utilities,” cited the need for utilities to address the rising risk of wildfires due to many factors, including climate change. With a comprehensive wildfire safety plan in place, bolstered by continued investments in safety and innovation, PG&E was identified as being among the nation’s most advanced utilities in wildfire preparedness planning and readiness.

Among its key findings were the need for utilities to thoroughly assess the wildfire risk they face, develop comprehensive safety plans and communicate with key stakeholders, all areas where PG&E has focused heavily over the past several years. PG&E’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan maturity was assessed as Tier 1, the most mature tier in the assessment.

The Stanford Woods Institute conducted and publicized this research because “we believe that making comparative information of this type publicly available will help to better inform utility, regulator, and investor decision-making and ultimately lead to more successful and efficient mitigation of wildfire risk across the United States.”

PG&E agrees on the critical importance of wildfire mitigation and prevention, including undergrounding 10,000 miles of powerlines in high fire-risk areas which nearly eliminates risk and is cheaper in the long run versus maintenance and vegetation work on overhead lines.

“We recognize the threat that wildfires pose to our state and continue to work tirelessly to make our system safer in the face of a changing climate,” said Mark Quinlan, Senior Vice President of Wildfire, Emergency & Operations. “This report shows that, to PG&E, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and communities.”

PG&E continues to invest in multiple layers of protection that have reduced wildfire risk from equipment by more than 94% [1] since 2017. This work includes:  

• Undergrounding 10,000-miles of powerlines, the largest undergrounding effort in the U.S. as a wildfire risk reduction measure. Since the program’s launch, PG&E has constructed and energized more than 640 miles of underground powerlines and is on track to complete more than 1,600 total miles of undergrounding through 2026.
• Strengthening the electric system with strong poles and covered powerlines in and near high fire-risk areas.
• Decreasing ignitions and providing wildfire protection to 44,000 line miles and all 1.8 million customers living in high fire-risk areas through Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS). In 2023, there was a 72% reduction in CPUC-reportable ignitions on EPSS-enabled lines in High Fire-Threat Districts (compared to the 2018-2020 average).
• Reducing the impact of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), which remains a top focus for PG&E.
• Managing trees and other vegetation located near powerlines that could cause a power outage or ignition.
• Using a network of over 1,500 weather stations to better predict and respond to severe weather threats.
• Installing 600 total high-definition cameras, enabling PG&E to see more than 90% of the high fire-risk areas it serves.

While PG&E has made incredible progress, safety work is never finished. PG&E will continue to focus on preventing wildfires to help keep the communities it serves safe.

[1] Based on the methodology established by the CPUC in the Safety Model Assessment Proceeding and implemented by PG&E, accordingly.