PG&E Invests In Infrastructure To Safely And Reliably Support Summer Electric Demand

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May 28, 2014, 05:18 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company is completing key electric infrastructure projects throughout its service area to ensure customers receive safe and reliable performance during the hot summer months ahead.

"As customers use air conditioning to cool their homes and businesses, they draw more energy from the grid. Completing these key projects in advance of the summer season will help ensure we can meet their needs," said Patrick Hogan, vice president of asset management for PG&E.

Electric Reliability Improved in 2013 (PRNewsFoto/Pacific Gas and Electric Company)

To date, examples of the work that PG&E is working to complete ahead of this summer include:

Work benefitting agricultural and residential customers throughout Butte, Yuba and Sutter Counties: PG&E recently completed an extensive rebuild of a 42-mile electric transmission line that serves the North Valley area. The new transmission line will improve electric reliability in the region and give PG&E more flexibility in transmitting power. The new line also plays an important role in carrying renewable power to customers throughout its service area.
Work benefitting residential, business and agricultural customers in the Bakersfield area: PG&E recently replaced nine miles of power lines and more than 100 poles on a transmission circuit serving the Bakersfield area. This project increased the line's capacity and improves PG&E's ability to serve its customers in the area.
Work benefitting rural and agricultural customers in Stanislaus County: PG&E recently replaced more than 6,500 feet of power lines with higher capacity wire, replaced power poles and installed additional equipment that will enhance reliability for PG&E's rural and agricultural customers in the Oakdale area.
Work benefitting rural customers in Fresno County: PG&E recently completed an extensive replacement of more than three miles of power lines on an electrical circuit which serves Coalinga. The new higher capacity lines are expected to increase reliability to customers in the area.
Work benefitting high tech customers in Silicon Valley: PG&E recently replaced almost 3,000 feet of power lines with higher capacity wire that will increase service reliability to customers in the Sunnyvale area.
Work benefitting agricultural customers in Madera County: PG&E is currently replacing more than 5,400 feet of power lines, replacing multiple poles and installing equipment that increases the capacity of the circuit and ability to restore customers more quickly in the event of an outage in the Chowchilla area.
Work benefitting residential and business customers in Solano County: PG&E is currently constructing a new electrical circuit that involves installing nearly 5,000 feet of underground cable and equipment that will increase reliability for customers in the greater Fairfield area. In the event of a power outage, the new circuit will also allow for quicker restoration of customers.

PG&E continues to focus on delivering safe, reliable electric service that significantly benefits homes and businesses throughout Northern and Central California. The company invested nearly $2.3 billion in electrical infrastructure last year to improve service for its customers.

Customers experienced the fewest service interruptions and shortest duration of power outages in company history last year. PG&E customers have seen a 40 percent improvement in the average duration of service disruptions and a 27 percent improvement in the number of customer interruptions since 2006.

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 utilities 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 http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company