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SDG&E briefs Santee council on wildfire risks and public safety power shutoffs; encourages preparedness and registration
Summary
SDG&E staff updated the council on drought-driven fire potential, how public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) are decided, notification tools and community support services; the utility described grid-hardening work, community resource centers and opportunities to register contact information and vulnerability needs.
San Diego Gas & Electric representatives gave the City Council an overview of wildfire risk indicators and the company’s approach to Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) on Aug. 27, saying PSPS are used only as a last resort and describing the operational steps the utility takes when extreme weather threatens ignition.
Joe Gabaldon, SDG&E senior public affairs manager, outlined how the company uses fuel-moisture data, about 216 weather stations across its service territory, meteorological analysis and an executive decision-making process to determine whether to de-energize lines. He said state drought conditions and live fuel moisture declines have elevated inland fire potential for the season and that the utility monitors conditions 7–10 days out and refines modeling in the 4–6 day and 2–3 day windows before an event.
Gabaldon described SDG&E’s customer-notification tools (texts, calls, email, an sdge.com/notifications portal and mobile apps), partnerships with 2-1-1 San Diego and local community-based organizations, 11 community resource centers in high-fire-threat districts, and the utility’s coordination with tribal leaders and the sheriff’s office to deliver targeted assistance. He also detailed grid-hardening measures including steel poles, undergrounding in select neighborhoods, battery storage and generator back-up for critical community facilities.
Council members asked whether transmission lines can be undergrounded and whether SDG&E will revisit which circuits serve Santee after past outages. Gabaldon said transmission lines are rarely undergrounded for practical reasons and that the company will continue to evaluate grid upgrades and report back on options. He also said SDG&E would come back to the council to discuss future planning and undergrounding possibilities.
SDG&E urged residents to register contact information and special needs on the company portal, and to use community resource centers and partners if they are impacted by a PSPS.
