PG&E Blackouts: A Growing Challenge
PG&E Preventative Blackouts Affecting 2+ Million Customers Across 34 Counties
PG&E’s history of financial instability — with two bankruptcies in less than 20 years, PG&E’s activities have resulted in chronic underinvestment in critical maintenance and system reliability upgrades. A failure to adequately trim trees and protect powerlines has led to catastrophic wildfires, forcing PG&E to rely on prolonged, large-scale blackouts during the fall “fire season” to mitigate fire risks.
Wildfire Impact: Since 2020, California has experienced over 8,000 wildfires, burning more than 3.6 million acres. Since August 15 of that year, elevated fire activity has resulted in 26 fatalities, over 6,600 structures destroyed, and widespread devastation.
Financial Strain: Billions of dollars have been allocated to fire claims, litigation, and prevention efforts, diverting resources from much-needed system reliability improvements.
Loss of Customers: The widespread adoption of solar and renewable energy solutions has eroded PG&E’s customer base, leaving them with universal service obligations while losing their most profitable clients.
Blackouts: The New Normal
PG&E’s CEO has warned customers to expect recurring blackouts for at least the next decade. These preventative outages affect over 2 million customers across 34 counties — even those located hundreds of miles from any fire activity.
Duration: Preventative blackouts typically last between two and five days.
Safety Impacts: These outages disrupt critical services, compromise public safety, and create significant challenges for affected communities.
