PG&E had planned as far back as 2013 to replace an aging complex of transmission equipment linked to the origin area of the lethal inferno that roared though Butte County in November 2018, but has yet to initiate the upgrade, according to documents filed with state regulators.
The power facilities that weren’t repaired for years stretch through Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties in Northern California and include what’s known as the Caribou-Palermo line that carries 115 kilovolts, according to official filings with the state Public Utilities Commission.
The disclosures raise fresh questions about PG&E’s safety efforts as they relate to the company’s creaky complex of electricity lines and towers.
“PG&E keeps telling us they are now a new company and they are changing their ways. But how can we believe them?” said state Sen. Jerry Hill, whose district includes parts of Santa Clara County. “They have said this numerous times before.”