OROVILLE, Calif. — Over next week, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) crews will survey by helicopter electrical equipment and nearby vegetation to spot and prevent potential wildfire risks in Butte, Sutter, Nevada and Placer counties.
Helicopters equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors and high-resolution imagery technology will evaluate PG&E powerlines and adjacent trees in rural and foothill areas.
Flights will occur over the outskirts of these communities Sept. 2-6:
- Butte and Sutter Counties – Peachton, East Biggs, east Gridley, Honcut, Fagan, Live Oak
- Nevada County– southwest of Junction House, south of Englebright Lake
- Placer County – south of Lincoln, Virginiatown
“Our most important responsibility is the safety of our customers and our hometowns we are privileged to serve and that includes doing everything possible to mitigate wildfire threats,” said Joe Wilson, Vice President of PG&E’s North Valley & Sierra Region. “The high-tech tools at our disposal, such as this remote sensing technology, enhance mapping data and produce the sharpest scans. That level of detail and accuracy provides essential information on the condition and location of our equipment relative to nearby vegetation.”
The helicopter surveys will be along distribution powerlines Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. each weekday. Helicopters will be flying low at an altitude of about 500 feet but will occasionally hover at times as low as 200 feet .
A surveyor in the helicopter will collect the data on PG&E’s powerlines, poles, and the surrounding trees and brush located along distribution circuits within or adjacent to extreme (Tier 3) and elevated (Tier 2) wildfire risk areas (as defined by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) High Fire-Threat District Map). This data is used to create a 3-D simulation of our facilities.
The visual representation of PG&E’s facilities gives the utility an accurate and unique picture to determine if there are potential encroachments near its equipment which could require safety improvements or maintenance. Incorporating the data from these technologies will support the safe and reliable delivery of electricity to the communities PG&E serves.
Additionally, the data is used to inform PG&E’s machine learning artificial intelligence risk models to predict the potential risk of catastrophic wildfires from vegetation contacting electric lines.
Utilizing multiple methods to gather data—including ground, aerial and climbing patrols, physical testing of poles and the use of infrared and LiDAR sensing —PG&E plans to complete inspections of transmission and distribution structures in extreme fire-threat areas, which includes more than 390,000 distribution poles and nearly 39,000 transmission structures.
For more information on how PG&E is working every day to reduce wildfire risk, visit www.pge.com/cwsp