PG&E details plans to reduce size of forced power outages this fire season

After an extensive power shutdown last October left nearly 3 million Californians — including residents of Tiburon, Belvedere and Strawberry — in the dark for several days, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said it’s devising ways to lessen the impacts of outages this fire season, especially in areas deemed low fire risk like the Tiburon Peninsula. During a June 10 webinar for residents in Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties, PG&E officials detailed plans to make this year’s so-called public-safety power shutoffs “smaller in size, shorter in length and smarter for customers” by implementing new technology like microgrids and sectionalizing devices, as well as increasing line-inspection capabilities so electricity can be restored more quickly.

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