Danville Outages Caused By Temporary Grid Configuration: PG&E

DANVILLE, CA — PG&E said that Danville and Alamo’s multiple outages are at least partially caused by repairs to damaged underground cables and overhead equipment.

“As this work is being completed, some of our customers are being provided with electricity through a different circuit. This temporary situation resulted in more customers being impacted when an outage occurred. The electric grid will be returned to normal as repairs are completed over the next 30 days,” the company said in an email sent to customers.

PG&E also said that the temporary grid configuration meant that a larger portion of the electrical system had Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings in place to prevent wildfires by automatically turning off the power within one-tenth of a second in the case of a fire hazard, like a tree branch hitting a powerline, or equipment failure. PG&E said that in 2022, there were 68 percent fewer ignitions on EPSS-enabled lines.

The company sent the email ahead of a Tuesday Town Council meeting that will feature Bay Area Regional Vice President Aaron Johnson and Local Government Affairs Manager Sarah Yoell. The two executives will answer questions from the Town Council and the public regarding numerous outages, following a letter sent by Danville Town Manager Joe Calabrigo. See here for more information.

The public is invited to voice their concerns in person at the Town Meeting Hall. See here for the agenda.