Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings: A tool to keep you safe

How it works

• EPSS are advanced safety settings.
• These settings allow our powerlines to automatically turn off power within one-tenth of a second.
• This can occur when there is a hazard, like a tree branch falling into a powerline.

Increased safety

• These settings are in place in high fire-risk areas and some adjacent regions.
• These settings are a proven wildfire prevention tool. In 2022, there was a 68% reduction in ignitions on EPSS-enabled powerlines.*
• By stopping ignitions, we help prevent wildfires from starting and spreading.
• If ignitions occur, the size of fires are much smaller thanks to EPSS. In 2022, there was a 99% decrease in acres impacted by ignitions, despite dry conditions.**

* CPUC-reportable ignitions in High Fire-Threat Districts on distribution powerlines (compared to the weather-normalized 2018-2020 average).
** As measured by fire size from electric distribution equipment (compared to the 2018-2020 average).

What to expect

• These more-sensitive settings will be turned on when there is an increased wildfire risk. This is most likely from May to November, but wildfire risk may exist year-round in some areas.
• EPSS will help keep you safe, but you may experience unexpected power outages.
• We conduct a daily analysis to determine wildfire risk and if safety settings are needed to protect customers. If conditions do not meet the need, EPSS is turned off. This helps to prevent unnecessary outages.
• We do not expect these settings to impact customer bills.

Outage causes

• Unexpected outages can happen for multiple reasons. This includes a branch hitting a powerline.
• This could cause an outage on any powerline, including those without safety settings. EPSS-enabled powerlines help prevent wildfires by turning off power quicker.
• In some cases, we may not be able to determine the cause of an outage.
• Undetermined causes could be the result of something, like a branch or an animal, that contacted the powerline. Sometimes these hazards are no longer visible when our crews patrol to restore power.

Customer support

We understand how disruptive it is for customers to lose power. That is why we are working hard to support our customers and communities and reduce the impact of outages. These efforts include providing:

• Portable batteries
• Generator and battery rebates
• Devices for easy and safe connection to a generator
• Improved notifications and updates about when power will be back on and outage causes (Update your contact information today to stay informed.)
• Safety tips and personalized emergency plans

Additional safety measures

These adjustments are just some of the safety enhancements PG&E has put in place. Other efforts include:

• Undergrounding 10,000 miles of powerlines. This will improve safety and reliability.
• Exceeding state vegetation standards. This helps to prevent trees and branches from falling into powerlines.
• Installing stronger poles and powerlines. This makes the electric grid safer and more resilient.
• Reducing the impact of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) with grid updates and weather forecasting improvements. This allows us to more precisely target shutoffs.

More resources

How EPSS is making our customers safer from wildfires