PG&E highlights successes, plans in corporate sustainability report

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) highlighted its actions and plans related to safety and environmental stewardship in its annual corporate sustainability report.

The report highlights PG&E’s climate plan, which calls for significant emissions reductions by 2030 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Further, this ambitious plan calls for the company to become “climate positive” by 2050 – that is, actively removing more carbon from the environment than it emits.

The report also summarizes actions the company has already taken to help the environment, its customers, and its communities. Among the highlights, it provided customers with electricity that was more than 90 percent green­house-gas-emissions-free, with about 50 percent from state-qualified renewable resources. Also, it awarded contracts for more than 3,300 MW of battery energy storage to be deployed through 2024 and reached 600,000 private solar interconnections, more than any other U.S. utility. In addition, it has installed more than 5,000 \charging ports for electric vehicles, 39 percent of which are in disadvantaged communities. Further, it interconnected PG&E’s first renewable natural gas project — bridging dairies and PG&E gas pipelines.

“Last year was a major inflection point in PG&E’s long history. Facing historic wildfire conditions, we launched unprecedented initiatives to reduce the risk of wildfires, including efforts to reimagine our electric system by undergrounding 10,000 miles of powerlines in the areas most at risk. We also began envisioning our plan to help roll back the impacts of climate change, which was detailed in the bold climate commitments we unveiled last month,” Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E Corporation, said.

The report also highlighted what PG&E is doing to reduce wildfire risk across its service area. Specifically, it is committed to putting 10,000 miles of powerlines underground as a long-term solution to preventing wildfires. Also, it is launching the Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) program, which allows for the automatic shutdown of electric lines if the system senses a problem. In addition, it is making the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program more targeted. Finally, it is hardening over 200 line miles and installing over 300 weather stations.

“We know that our success will require involving all our stakeholders in the goals that we set and collaborating with them to find the right solutions for achieving results. Our external Sustainability Advisory Council played an instrumental role in helping us set ambitious new climate goals and reinforced the need for broad community engagement as we chart a path to a more equitable and affordable energy future. As we work to reimagine our electric system, our new Undergrounding Advisory Group is giving us broad perspectives—across agencies, local and tribal governments, labor, and other sectors—to help co-create what will become the country’s most modern and expansive underground electric system,” Carla Peterman, PG&E’s corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer, said.