PG&E Turns Off the Power for Safety to Approximately 48,200 Customers in Seven Counties in Sierra Foothills and North Bay

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) confirmed this morning that customers in the Sierra Foothills and the North Bay who were notified of an impending Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) are now without power.

The PSPS event is impacting approximately 48,200 customers in seven counties: Butte, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sonoma and Yuba. The process to turn off power was completed between approximately 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.

This PSPS decision was based on forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather including potential fire risk. Forecasts indicate that the peak period of winds should end around noon today.

Once the weather subsides and it is safe to do so, PG&E crews will begin patrolling power lines, repairing damaged equipment and restoring customers. In the area impacted by the PSPS, PG&E will need to conduct safety inspections of approximately 2,785 miles of transmission and distribution lines, which is equivalent to the driving distance from Sacramento to Philadelphia.

Restoration activities can only take place during daylight hours, so it’s likely that some customers may not be restored until Thursday.