Op-Ed: Remember PG&E's planned wildfire blackouts in October? They cost California millions, and the benefits don't add up (via latimesopinion)
PG&E said it reached a settlement with the Butte County district attorney’s office on March 17. The utility’s critics say the plea deal is too lenient., PG&E anticipates “smarter, smaller and shorter” blackouts for the coming fire season. But, as Alsup pointed out, the company’s record on fulfilling its promises is “not even close to perfect.” And smarter, shorter blackouts would still be costly for Californians.
For example, based on the economic value of electricity to Californians, we estimate that the Oct. 9-12, 2019, shutoff imposed costs of about $850 million to $1.7 billion on the 750,000 customers, mostly in Northern California, who were affected.
A second rationale for preemptive shutdowns is, somewhat ironically, public relations. The California Public Utilities Commission and state politicians, who allow the shutdowns, all appear to be terrified of the adverse publicity should another deadly PG&E-caused wildfire occur. The PUC may fear accusations that it has failed to oversee PG&E adequately.
The destructive wildfires in 2017 and 2018 resulted from a confluence of circumstances, including weather conditions, questionably managed forests and deferred maintenance along PG&E’s power lines, which increased the likelihood that the utility’s equipment would cause a wildfire.
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