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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - August 7, 2019 B-02AGENDA ITEM B-2 Crrv or Lour Couxcrl, CovIMUNICATIoN ÏM AGENDA TITLE: MEETING DATE: PREPARED BY: PG&E Community Wildfire Safety Program Presentation August 7,2019 Electric Utility Director RECOMMENDED ACTION Receive PG&E Community Wildfire Safety Program Presentation BACKGROUN D INFORMATION PG&E has prepared a presentation to update Lodi's City Council on its Community Wildfire Safety Program. California faces a continued and growing threat of extreme weather and wildfires. As part of its Community Wildfire Safety Program, PG&E is implementing additional precautionary measures to help reduce the risk of wildfires. lf extreme fire danger conditions threaten a portion of the electric system serving a community, it may be necessary to implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event; turning off electricity in the interest of public safety. While the PG&E facilities that provide transmission of power to the City of Lodi are not located within high fire threat areas, to the extent that actions taken by PG&E to reduce the risk of wildfire have broader implications on the power grid, the City of Lodi may experience power outages. PG&E will provide the City Councilwith an update on its Community Wildfire Safety Program and be available to answer questions from the Council as well as the public. F¡SCAL IMPAGT:Not applicable FUNDING AVAILABLE Not applicable ( lissa C. Price lnterim Electric Utility Director MP/nb APPROVED: , City Managern Community Wildfire Safety Program City of Lodi August 7, 2019 2 Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk. Community Wildfire Safety Program NEW AND ENHANCED SAFETY MEASURES •Installing stronger and more resilient poles and covered power lines, along with targeted undergrounding •Upgrading and replacing electric equipment and infrastructure to further reduce wildfire risks •Working with communities to develop new resilience zones to provide electricity to central community resources during a Public Safety Power Shutoff event SYSTEM HARDENING AND RESILIENCY •Coordinating prevention and response efforts by monitoring wildfire risks in real time from our Wildfire Safety Operations Center •Expanding our network of PG&E weather stations to enhance weather forecasting and modeling •Supporting the installation of new high -definition cameras in high fire-threat areas REAL-TIME MONITORING AND INTELLIGENCE •Further enhancing vegetation management efforts to increase focus on vegetation that poses a higher potential for wildfire risk •Conducting accelerated safety inspections of electric infrastructure in high fire-threat areas •Disabling automatic reclosing of circuit breakers and reclosers in high fire-risk areas during wildfire season •Proactively turning off electric power for safety (Public Safety Power Shutoff) when gusty winds and dry conditions combine with a heightened fire risk 3 Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk. Real -Time Monitoring and Intelligence WEATHER STATION INSTALLATION WILDFIRE SAFETY OPERATIONS CENTER MONITORING wildfire risks in real time from our and coordinating prevention and response efforts ~1,300 new weather stations by 2022 INSTALLING ~600 high-definition cameras by 2022 SUPPORTING the installation of 24/7 Wildfire Safety Operations Center Images available at alertwildfire.org Data available at mesowest.utah.edu 4 Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk. Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) While no single factor will drive a Public Safety Power Shutoff, some factors include: A RED FLAG WARNING declared by the National Weather Service LOW HUMIDITY LEVELS generally 20% and below FORECASTED SUSTAINED WINDS GENERALLY ABOVE 25 MPH AND WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH , depending on location and site-specific conditions such as temperature, terrain and local climate CONDITION OF DRY FUEL on the ground and live vegetation (moisture content) ON-THE-GROUND, REAL-TIME OBSERVATIONS from PG&E’s Wildfire Safety Operations Center and field observations from PG&E crews We monitor conditions across our system and evaluate whether to proactively turn off electric lines for safety when gusty winds and dry conditions combine with a heightened fire risk. 5 Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk. Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Source: California Public Utilities Commission •Beginning with the 2019 wildfire season, we are expanding our Public Safety Power Shutoff program to include all electric lines that pass through high fire-threat areas –both distribution and transmission. •The most likely electric lines to be considered for shutting off for safety will be those that pass through areas that have been designated by the CPUC as at elevated (Tier 2) or extreme (Tier 3) risk for wildfire. •Because the energy system relies on power lines working together to provide electricity, any of PG&E’s more than 5 million electric customers could have their power shut off. 6 Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk. Why Everyone Should Be Prepared PG&E’s energy system relies on power lines working together to provide electricity across cities, counties and regions. This means power may be shut off, even if you do not live or work in an area experiencing extreme weather conditions. While the most likely electric lines to be considered for shutting off for safety will be those that pass through high fire-threat areas, any PG&E electric customer could be impacted and should be prepared. For illustrative purposes only PG&E’S ELECTRIC SYSTEM TRANSMISSION LINES DISTRIBUTION LINES POWER GENERATION SOURCES SUBSTATIONS 7 Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk. PSPS Event Notifications Timing of Notifications (when possible) ~48 HOURS before electricity is turned off Extreme weather threats can change quickly. Our goal, dependent on weather, is to provide customers with advance notice prior to turning off power.We will also provide updates until power is restored. ~24 HOURS before electricity is turned off JUST BEFORE electricity is turned off DURING THE PUBLIC SAFETY OUTAGE ONCE POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED City/County/Agency Notifications We will make every attempt to provide notice in advance of notifying customers through: •Phone calls/emails to primary contacts •Automated notifications to send alerts through multiple channels •Provide customer alerts to share via channels, such as city or county website, Nixle, Nextdoor and Reverse 911 Customer Notifications We will attempt to reach customers through calls, texts and emails. We will also use social media and keep local news and radio outlets informed and updated. ! 8 Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk. Working to Restore Power WEATHER ALL CLEAR PATROL & INSPECT ISOLATE & REPAIR DAMAGE RESTORE POWER NOTIFY CUSTOMERS After the extreme weather has passed and it’s safe to do so, our crews begin patrols and inspections. Crews visually inspect our electric system to look for potential weather-related damage to the lines, poles and towers. This is done by vehicle, foot and air during daylight hours. Where damage is found, crews work to isolate the area so other parts of the system can be restored. Crews work safely and as quickly as possible to make repairs. Once it is safe to energize, a call is made to the PG&E Control Center to complete the energization process. Power is then restored to customers. Customers are notified that power has been restored . We will only restore power when we are certain it is safe to do so. We expect to be able to visually inspect the system for damage and restore power to most of our customers within 24 to 48 hours after extreme weather has passed . Because extreme weather can last several hours or days, for planning purposes, we suggest customers prepare for outages that could last longer than 48 hours . 9 Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk. Working With Our Customers to Prepare Reaching out to approximately 5 million customers and asking them to update their contact info at pge.com/mywildfirealerts Holding answer centers and open houses (as needed) in advance of and during wildfire season Mailing postcards to customers that do not have contact information on file Providing tenant education kits to Master Meter customers Conducting additional outreach to customers in high fire-threat areas through direct mail, preparedness checklist and email campaign Placing calls and doing additional outreach to Medical Baseline and Medical Baseline - eligible customers in high fire-threat areas Launching broad public safety advertising campaign Continuing to share information through pge.com/wildfiresafety Partnering with community leaders, first responders and public safety authorities around PSPS preparedness and coordination Engaging with organizations for our customers who have specific needs to explore ways we can partner ADS 10 Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk. Learn More As a critical partner in emergency response, we want to notify you about a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff in your area, when possible. Please provide the best phone numbers and email addresses for your organization. We welcome your feedback and input For questions regarding PG&E’s Community Wildfire Safety Program, please direct customers with questions to: •Call us at 1-866-743-6589 •Email us at wildfiresafety@pge.com •Visit pge.com/wildfiresafety