SACRAMENTO, Calif. — PG&E Corp.’s efforts to improve wildfire safety continue to run into headwinds, including aging equipment, damaged power poles and hazardous trees that went undetected by the utility’s crews, according to a consulting firm hired by California officials.
In addition, consultant Filsinger Energy Partners said PG&E’s progress on wildfire safety is being hindered by the global supply chain crisis, which is making it harder for the utility to replace infrastructure and equipment that are growing obsolete. Filsinger’s report to the Public Utilities Commission was released Monday afternoon.
The commission hired the Denver-based consultant as part of PG&E’s plan to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 2020 — a bankruptcy prompted by the company’s struggles to contend with billions of dollars in liabilities caused by a flurry of massive wildfires.
