Wildfire Safety & Prevention

The safety of our customers and communities is one of PGE’s top priorities. We proactively and comprehensively work year-round across our service area to reduce the risk and impact of wildfires.

• System hardening and equipment upgrades. We proactively maintain and upgrade our equipment to increase resilience, reduce outages and mitigate wildfire risk.

  • Deliberate and targeted approach to converting overhead power lines to underground power lines in High Fire Risk Zones.

  • Since 2019, we have installed almost 1,000 iron utility poles in specific areas to make our system more resilient against wildfire.

  • Installing covered conductor, which is an insulated overhead power line designed to bolster power reliability and reduce wildfire risk.

• Vegetation Management. Our service area includes more than 2.2 million trees and approximately 12,000 miles of overhead power lines. We conduct routine, year-round tree-trimming and vegetation management. In addition to routine tree-trimming, we also conduct enhanced vegetation management in High Fire Risk Zones.

• Remote monitoring. We have a network of high-definition AI fire detection cameras that provide 24/7 visual observation of our High Fire Risk Zones as well as large portions of PGE’s service area. These systems alert PGE and public safety partners to potential wildfire ignitions and provide 360-degree fire detection triangulation capability, accurate to within 100 yards.

• Weather monitoring. PGE’s meteorologists monitor weather conditions daily. Our network of weather stations provides detailed weather data, which supports making operational decisions, including when we should initiate a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). We share our weather station data publicly to improve regional forecasting and aid in the analysis of extreme weather events.

• Smart Grid technology. We have protective devices in our High Fire Risk Zones that sense when there is a problem on the line (for example, if a branch or other debris contacts it) and automatically shuts off the electricity to prevent damage.

  • These smart switch devices can also be controlled by grid operators to increase operational flexibility, reduce outage duration and minimize the number of customers experiencing a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).

  • These devices generate additional benefits by improving reliability in all seasons for customers and providing additional situational awareness for PGE.

• Coordination. We work closely with local, state and federal agencies and Tribes to plan for wildfire and other emergencies. Collaborating with and maintaining strong relationships with these organizations helps us coordinate and plan for emergencies before they happen, so if an emergency happens, we are ready to work together.

• Enhanced powerline safety settings. To help prevent wildfire, we operate our electric system more conservatively in select locations during fire season and on days when there is increased fire risk due to factors like high winds, dry conditions, or high temperatures.