PG&E Nears Electric Restoration Completion; Gas Restoration More Than 60 Percent Complete in Communities Impacted by Northern California Wildfires

October 16, 2017

PG&E Urges Customers Not to Relight Pilot Lights Themselves for
Safety Reasons

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–More than 4,300 Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) employees and
mutual-aid partners continued restoring electric and gas service to
customers impacted by the unprecedented wind-driven wildfires in
Northern California. As restoration efforts continue around the clock,
PG&E has an absolute focus on customer and public safety while
supporting firefighting efforts.

By late Monday night, the company anticipates restoring service to
essentially all electric customers able to receive it, once approval to
energize is granted by CAL FIRE. By Wednesday night, the company
anticipates restoring service to all gas customers able to receive it,
once safe access is granted by CAL FIRE.

“To support all of our customers impacted by these terrible wildfires,
we have marshalled one of the largest restoration responses in recent
company history at a scale that compares with our response during the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake,” said Nick Stavropoulos, PG&E president and
chief operating officer. “Surveying the devastation with our crews first
hand is a sobering experience, and I am humbled by the dedication of our
team and partners who are tirelessly working around the clock to restore
electric and gas service. We won’t rest until all our customers are
restored, and we will continue to support our customers in the long term
as they work to rebuild and recover from this tragedy.”

Electric Progress

Since Monday, October 9, PG&E has restored power to more than 94 percent
of customers that lost power during the wildfires. Currently, there are
approximately 22,000 electric customers without power in the
fire-impacted areas. There are approximately 15,200 customers who are
out of power in Sonoma County. There are about 2,800 customers out of
power in Napa County. Where it is safe to do so, and where PG&E is
granted access and authorization to re-energize our powerlines by CAL
FIRE, the company expects to be able to restore essentially all
customers by Monday night.

Gas Progress

Since Monday, October 9, to protect customer and public safety, PG&E
proactively turned off gas service to about 42,000 customers in the
affected areas of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Some 900 workers,
from PG&E and from mutual-aid partners, have been working to relight
pilot lights in areas where it is safe to do so. Over the past several
days, we have restored gas service to approximately 23,000 customers or
approximately 60% of impacted customers who can safely take service. We
are working to restore the remaining 15,000 gas customers who are able
to accept service.

PG&E appreciates its customers’ patience during this process, and
understands the urgency in relighting appliances in homes and
businesses. With safety as the top priority, PG&E asks that customers please
do not attempt to relight pilot lights themselves. For customer
safety, PG&E will perform this service and conduct a safety check. This
is a free service.

As PG&E works through the restoration process, it pressure tests and
safety checks the gas system several times. When individuals attempt to
relight their own gas service, this results in a delay for all customers
who are out of service. If customers have already relighted their own
gas service, they can call 1-800-743-5000 so that PG&E can provide a
safety check. PG&E crews are working around the clock with CAL FIRE to
ensure areas are safe to access and to restore service and relight pilot
lights.

Support

The company continues to dispatch workers, supplies and equipment from
its base camps in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties. Crews from
five states are bolstering PG&E’s workforce as part of a mutual-aid
agreement. PG&E’s base camp in Rohnert Park in Sonoma is the largest in
the company’s history.

Electric Restoration Process

Once crews have been given permission to enter an area by CAL FIRE,
PG&E crews begin the electric assessment, repair and restoration
process.
Once safe, the initial step is damage assessment. Typically, this
occurs within 12 to 24 hours.
PG&E workers will be on site to make the area safe by isolating
electrical hazards.
Next, an estimated time for restoration is established, based on
needed repairs and time to complete work, and communicated to
customers.
Before safely re-energizing homes and businesses, PG&E will inspect
adjacent facilities and ensure locations are safe to receive power.
Finally, where safe to do so and access is allowed, restoring service
will typically take 24-48 hours depending on the extent of damage and
complexity of the work.
Repopulation decisions to areas or neighborhoods are made by local law
enforcement.

Gas Restoration Process

Once crews have been given permission to enter an area by CAL FIRE,
PG&E crews begin the gas restoration process.
When PG&E gains access to homes and businesses, gas crews check the
meter. Then, PG&E works to identify structures that are safe to
restore service and those that have sustained too much damage to
safely restore service. Assessments begin immediately and typically
occur within 24 hours of gaining access.
Because gas service was turned off to customers, any air present in
the pipeline system is purged to ensure that natural gas is safely
delivered to every structure. The purging process requires a site
visit by a gas technician to access the gas meter.
Next, the system is resupplied with gas and is pressure tested to make
sure it is safe.
PG&E gas workers visit every home or business where gas may
be safely restored to turn the meter on, purge the pipe within the
structure, check for leaks and ensure every pilot is relit for safe
operation.
Repopulation decisions to areas or neighborhoods are made by local law
enforcement.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of
the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.

Contacts

Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Media Relations, 415-973-5930