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PG&E outlines undergrounding, vegetation and outage programs for Calaveras County
Summary
Pacific Gas & Electric told Calaveras supervisors it is expanding undergrounding, covered‑conductor and vegetation management work in high fire‑risk areas and described tools—HD cameras, weather stations, EPSS and PSPS—meant to reduce wildfire ignitions and speed restorations.
Pacific Gas & Electric representatives briefed the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12 about local work under the company’s wildfire‑safety program, including undergrounding distribution lines, strengthening overhead lines with insulated (covered) conductor, expanded vegetation management and a suite of monitoring and outage‑mitigation tools.
Nathan Alonzo, PG&E local government affairs, told the board that undergrounding “reduces wildfire risk in the high nineties,” while covered conductor reduces risk “in the area of the eighties,” describing undergrounding and covered conductor as complementary measures that increase reliability as well as reduce ignition risk. He said the company has deployed 10 high‑definition cameras and 41 weather stations in the county to inform operational decisions and to provide imagery and weather data to public‑safety partners.
PG&E described recent and planned work in the county: company staff said 21 miles of undergrounding were completed in 2024, 23 miles were in progress or completed in 2025, and about 27 miles were forecast for 2026. The company also reported 11,010 miles of vegetation‑management work to date in the county, with additional inspections underway and further miles to be completed. Staff said the company’s wood‑management rules were adjusted in 2025 to align with CAL FIRE and now include hauling larger material from within 100 feet of structures and from egress routes in many circumstances.
On outage mitigation, PG&E explained two key programs: enhanced power‑line safety settings (EPSS), which increases circuit sensitivity during wildfire season so a fault de‑energizes a line within fractions of a second; and Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), which are proactive de‑energizations when weather and fuels create extreme risk. PG&E said it is improving notifications, providing community resource centers during PSPS events and sending a cause explanation to impacted customers within 24 hours after an outage.
PG&E staff also discussed affordability programs—Care and FERA discounts, LIHEAP arrearage assistance, budget billing and home‑energy financing—and said it filed a 2027–2030 general rate case in which, for the first time in 15 years, it expected bills to be flat in the next rate cycle.
Board members raised local concerns about contractor identification, advance notice to property owners on private roads, fallen timber and removal timelines, and moving poles away from roads in areas with frequent vehicle strikes. PG&E said it is pursuing “pole relocation” where feasible, expanding its portal for underground project maps (by request to undergrounding@pge.com), and hiring a local government affairs contact devoted to the county.
Quotes: “Undergrounding reduces wildfire risk in the high nineties,” Nathan Alonzo, PG&E local government affairs; “We will haul away wood that is within a 100 feet of structures,” a PG&E speaker described the updated wood‑management parameters.
Ending: The presentation was informational; supervisors did not take action but asked PG&E to continue coordination on project schedules, contractor identification, resident notifications and pole relocations.
