In high wind conditions, California utilities may preventatively de-energize power lines in order to reduce their risk of sparking wildfires.
That’s precisely what Southern California Edison’s did last year. The company's planned “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” left thousands of homes across the region without electricity, sometimes indefinitely and without warning.
Perceived lack of transparency around where and for how long the utility deployed shutoffs has triggered significant public outcry and drawn scrutiny from state agencies.
In a meeting with representatives of Edison on Tuesday, state regulators demanded a plan of action on how the utility intends to improve communication with customers, as well as better coordinate with state and local officials in the event of weather-related shutoffs.
California Public Utility Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen told Edison representatives that shutoffs “continue to need to be an action of last resort, not first resort.”
Representatives of the utility told regulators they have no choice but to shut down lines in service territories of high wildfire risk during wind events; but they are working on installing safeguards that may mitigate the need for such shutoffs going forward.
In a process called “hardening the system,” Edison is insulating approximately 700 miles of powerline that hang over fire-threatened areas of Southern California. Insulation is expected to be complete by October of this year.
So far, representatives for Edison say the utility has insulated 30 percent of that 700 miles of line.
Regulators told Edison they expect results; and no more surprise shutoffs. In a meeting Monday with representatives of San Diego Gas & Electric, Commission President Marybel Batjer warned, “Utilities will be judged by outcome, not by plans.”
Customers complained to public officials that the schedule of shutoffs last fall, including on Thanksgiving Day in 2020, was chaotic and unpredictable, at times even contradicting official notices by Edison.