SAN JOSE — PG&E is eyeing 10 tasks that would curb intentional or unintentional energy failures in San Jose neighborhoods which might be on the sides of high-risk wildfire zones.
A few of that PG&E work was underway this week on Camden Avenue close to Almaden Expressway in south San Jose.
PG&E crews work to switch an influence pole and join electrical energy gear on Camden Avenue in south San Jose, Feb. 19, 2025. (George Avalos/Bay Space Information Group)
Oakland-based PG&E was engaged on Wednesday to switch an influence pole and create connections for gear to the present energy strains.
“I think that it’s great that PG&E is trying to reduce power outages,” mentioned Dan Kennedy, who was watching, together with grandson, the utility’s crews work on Camden Avenue a number of blocks from his San Jose residence.
Teresa Alvarado, PG&E vp for the utility’s South Bay and Central Coast Area, discusses a PG&E electrical energy venture whereas the corporate’s crews work to switch an influence pole and join electrical energy gear on Camden Avenue in south San Jose, Feb. 19, 2025. (George Avalos/Bay Space Information Group)
PG&E is spending about $11 million for the improve on Camden Avenue, estimated Stephanie Magallon, a PG&E spokesperson.
The work on Camden Avenue is “under budget,” Magallon mentioned.
The Camden Avenue venture is only one of 10 San Jose tasks which might be additionally designed to curb the probability of intentional energy outages. The Camden Avenue endeavor is slated to be full by this June.
PG&E, nevertheless, didn’t present a value estimate for the opposite 9 tasks. The utility additionally didn’t say whether or not further charge requests could be wanted to finance these further endeavors or whether or not the cash was already out there for this extra work. A timetable wasn’t instantly recognized.
The neighborhood the place PG&E crews labored this week is close to hilly wildlands on the sting of the Almaden Valley in south San Jose.
“This and other projects will all interface with the hills and areas of high fire risk,” mentioned Teresa Alvarado, PG&E vp for the utility’s South Bay and Central Coast Area.
Near 10,000 prospects will see a big discount in outages throughout winter storms, high-fire danger situations and warmth waves, in keeping with PG&E.
“We have installed more devices to reduce outages affecting our customers,” Alvarado mentioned.
PG&E hopes to scale back the quantity of people that would lose energy because of Enhanced Powerline Security Settings — jargon for intentional shutdowns of electrical energy circuits to to curbe the possibility PG&E gear would trigger a hearth.
Within the south San Jose neighborhood the place PG&E was working, usually as much as 4,940 prospects could be topic to an intentional energy failure.
PG&E believes that quantity, as soon as the work is full, will likely be roughly 690 prospects at most.
The utility titan is underneath hearth for a sequence of charge hikes, together with a number of will increase that the state Public Utilities authorised in 2024.
Shopper teams have harshly criticized PG&E’s aggressive push to bury energy strains in quite a few sections of the corporate’s service territory in northern and central California.
Organizations resembling The Utility Reform Community, or TURN, consider PG&E’s push to bury electrical strains is just too pricey. PG&E argues that undergrounding quests are a greater and safer choice long run.
Regardless of the PUC’s approval for a string of charge will increase, PG&E prospects in January skilled solely a small rise of their month-to-month payments.
“My PG&E bills keep going up,” Kennedy, the San Jose resident mentioned. “But I guess it has to be done if if makes things safer.”
