Nearly 800,000
Californian PG&E
electric service
accounts lost power,
after PG&E shut it off
to lower the risk
of wildfires caused by
the company's equipment.
This was not the first
deliberate shutoff,
but it was the largest
so far.
800,000 "accounts"
were affected, for
varying amounts of time,
meaning more than
800,000 people
were affected.
Let's assume
somewhere between
one and two
million people
affected.
PG&E' has about
five million electric
service customers.
Any one of them
can be affected by a
"Public Safety
Power Shutoff",
(PSPS) .
A PSPS cuts electricity
to avoid causing fires
during high winds
and dry conditions.
PG&E, the state's
largest utility, has since
announced that
intentional power outages,
aimed at preventing wildfires,
may continue for up to a decade.
I suspect that
"continue for up to a decade"
is 'clever corporate talk'
really meaning "forever".
So, I expect Californians
can expect sporadic
electric power cutoffs forever,
unless there's lots of
tree trimming around
power lines, and replacements
for weak utility poles.
No such maintenance plan
has been announced.
There is no hint
that such a plan
will ever be created.
The California Public
Utilities Commission
held the emergency
meeting to lecture
and scold PG&E's
executives about
"the mistakes and
operational gaps
identified in the utility's
latest Public Safety
Power Shut-off (PSPS)
events and to provide
lessons learned to ensure
they are not repeated."
Democrat politicians,
especially in California,
are experts at lecturing
and scolding business
leaders in the private sector.
Public Utilities
Commission President
Marybel Batjer
said she was
"astonished"
at PG&E's lack of
modern technology
and services - including
the PG&E website crashing
during the shutdown.
"This is not hard,"
Batjer told PG&E execs.
"You guys have failed
on so many levels
on pretty simple stuff.
You need to get there now.
Not at the end of the year.
Now."
PG&E Chief
Executive Officer,
Bill Johnson, got a lot
of negative feedback
about his statements
at the meeting.
Johnson later clarified:
"I didn't mean to say
we'd be doing it
(PSPS shutdowns)
on this scale for 10 years.
I think they'll decrease
in size and scope
every year."
I think they'll decrease
in size and scope
every year."
According to PG&E,
"dealing with wildfires
is the new abnormal
within California."
That's baloney.
California wildfires
are old news.
Only electricity shutdowns
to prevent wildfires are new.
(starting in 2017).
On the Monday after
the Friday meeting,
California Governor
Gavin Newsom demanded
that PG&E reimburse those
affected by the shutoffs.
PG&E responded with:
"We understand that
shutting off power
is an extreme measure
that disrupts lives,
and we certainly recognize
that there are areas
of our operations
and communications
which we must improve.
I do believe our decision
to execute this PSPS
for the safety
of our customers
and the communities
we are privileged to serve
was the right decision."