Portland General Electric prioritizes customer safety
Cut power in 8 different high-risk fire areas, in addition to the public safety power shutoff in Mt. Hood corridor
Sept. 9, 2020
Portland, Ore. — Portland General Electric is working with state and community leaders and emergency responders throughout our service area to protect people and property from wildfire.
To date, we have de-energized in eight different high-risk fire areas in addition to the public safety power shutoff in the Mt. Hood corridor. These actions helped clear the path for our emergency responders to fight the Santiam Canyon and Riverside wildfires, as well as other area fires.
As we do in all extreme weather and wildfire situations, our team is at the ready and will continue to turn off power in limited areas to support our emergency responders and protect against further fire spread. We will only reenergize when we know it is safe to do so.
PGE has received unconfirmed reports that some fires in the region may have been started by electrical equipment affected by heavy winds and debris. Safety is our top concern. We are working alongside community leaders and emergency responders to fully assess each situation and outage to understand the circumstances.
General Outage Updates
Since the historic windstorm hit Monday evening, service has been safely restored to more than 187,000 Portland General Electric customers, with crews working as quickly as safety allows to restore service to the more than 28,000 customers still without power. Crews are responding to more than 1,100 downed power lines. PGE has dispatched more than 100 crews and field personnel to continue working on power restoration around the clock, with additional mutual aid crews arriving this afternoon. PGE reminds customers to stay away from any downed utility lines, and to report any downed lines or power outages by calling 503-464-7777 (Portland) or 800-544-1795.
Customers who are without power can visit PortlandGeneral.com/outage for intermittent updates on estimated restoration times. Given the high volume of outages, these estimates may fluctuate and change as outage circumstances become clearer.
Updates on Mt. Hood Corridor impacted by the public safety power shutoff
PGE anticipates power to the 5,000 customers in the public safety power shutoff area near Mt. Hood may be out through the weekend, although the extent of damage to the system may impact that timeline. Customers who are within the area of the preemptive public safety power outage in the Mt. Hood corridor, along Highway 26 from Brightwood to Government Camp, can visit PortlandGeneral.com/wildfire for updates about service restoration.
About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon, with operations across the state. The company serves 901,000 customers with a service area population of 1.9 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE has 16 generation plants in five Oregon counties, and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For over 130 years, PGE has delivered safe, affordable and reliable energy to Oregonians. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE and its 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. In 2019, PGE, employees, retirees and the PGE Foundation donated $4.7 million and volunteered 32,900 hours with more than 700 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit PortlandGeneral.com/news.
For more information contact Steve Corson, PGE, 503-464-8444, Steven.Corson@pgn.com