Audit Found Major Issues At PG&E Substations Before Massive Power Outages: Report

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Inspectors had already raised red flags at Bay Area PG&E substations before two fires broke out late last year, leaving thousands of customers in Northern California, according to a report from the East Bay Times.

State audits performed last year at PG&E substations in the Bay Area found problems from missing fire extinguishers, bird nests in electrical equipment, non-functional cooling fans, corroded batteries and missing bolts, according to the report.

SEE ALSO: PG&E Chief Praises Service Restorations As SF Supervisor Blasts Repeated Outages

It was a thorny December for PG&E, which saw fires at substations and an atmospheric storm leave hundreds of thousands of customers without power, some for several days.

A fire at a substation left more than 125,000 people in San Francisco without power on Dec. 20, 2025. Thousands were also left without power on Christmas Eve following a second fire in the midst of an atmospheric storm that plagued Northern California.

That atmospheric storm impacted more than 750,000 customers across Northern California.

South Bay Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna condemned PG&E, saying the company had underinvested in safety and that the audit confirmed the utility giant should be customer-owned and not investor-owned, according to the report.

PG&E, according to the report, responded to criticism, claiming it was "committed to adhering to compliance standards, taking immediate corrective actions when issues arise, and operating in a manner that prioritizes public and coworker safety."

Officials with the company also said they conduct routine inspections and preventative maintenance at these substations, according to the report.

One of the largest utility companies in the U.S., PG&E provides gas and electric service to about 16 million people in Northern and Central California.

It has previously been scrutinized for failing to invest in existing infrastructure following multiple catastrophic fires in Northern California that were caused by the company's power equipment, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

PG&E officials have previously claimed that most of their profit is invested back into the company, while the rest goes to shareholder dividends, according to the Chronicle.

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