PG&E working to curb growing number of wildfires started by own equipment

As the peak of the wildfire season quickly approaches, PG&E is working just as fast to put a stop to fires caused by its own equipment.

The utility is reporting 62 fires caused by power lines this year, nearly equally the total from all of last year.

To make the electric system safer, and reduce wildfire risk, sometimes exceptional costs have to be incurred.

That's been PG&E's message as to why rates have increased so much in the last few years. But wildfires have not decreased.

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"The issue that we have right now is just a lot of receptive fuels on the ground, and that's what's increasing the wildfire risk along with the heat that's continuing to dry out those fuels," said PG&E Spokesperson Lynsey Paulo.

When this abundance of dry fuels gathers around power poles, fires can start -- and they have a lot in 2024.

This year, PG&E is reporting 62 CPUC-reportable ignitions from their equipment in high fire-threat districts. There have been 29 since July 1.

In 2023 as a whole, there were only 65.

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"So what we've done is created a task force based on the data that we're seeing in the field, to look at what else could we be doing and what else might we need to change," Paulo said.

PG&E's wildfire safety program task force, created in July, and is using technology to recognize hazards that may start fires.

"Right now we've identified 50,000 poles within the highest fire risk areas to try and work and remove that vegetation 10 feet around the base of the pole," Paulo said.

PG&E equipment has been blamed for sparking some of the state's deadliest wildfires in recent years including the 2018 camp fire where 85 people died in the town of Paradise.

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Mark Toney is the executive director for the Utility Reform Network and says bills have skyrocketed more than 100% in the past four years.

With this latest fire data, Toney says it's fair for customers to question if the increases are worth it.

"The customers are paying the price of more expensive and much slower wildfire safety," Toney said.

Toney would prefer to see cheaper, faster ways of wildfire mitigation -- like insulated lines -- over seemingly constant increases with little results.