On April 5, 2022, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which serves over 5 million households in the northern two-thirds of California, announced that it will broaden the use of its Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) technology to all distribution powerlines in high fire-threat areas in 2022.[1] Launched as a pilot in July 2021, EPSS automatically shuts off power within one-tenth of a second if a potential threat to the electric system, such as a fallen tree branch, is detected. According to the press release, as of the end of 2021, the system successfully reduced reportable ignitions by 80% on affiliated circuits in High Fire-Threat Districts (HFTDs) compared to the previous three-year average across more than 11,500 HFTD miles of distribution lines.

The utility intends to expand the program to 25,500 HFTD miles of distribution lines within the company’s service area and in select adjacent areas. According to the company, unlike Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPSs), which are a last resort when severe weather conditions are forecast, EPSS is effective any time when dry fuels make powerline faults more likely to start a fire. The EPSS will be paired with a more surgical approach to reducing the frequency and duration of outages and the number of customers impacted. PG&E also said it intends to increase the resources available to customers affected by any shutoffs.

[1] https://www.pge.com/en_US/about-pge/media-newsroom/news-details.page?pageID=d8b31ca1-2f94-4d86-ba5b-f62d87b063fc&ts=1649362205969