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Beaverton, Gresham-Barlow, Portland, Salem-Keizer and Tigard-Tualatin school districts will serve students with new electric school buses
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland General Electric announced five recipients of the 2022 Electric School Bus Fund, paving the way for six additional electric school buses to be on the road serving Oregon students in the years to come.
Using funding from the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, the Beaverton, Gresham-Barlow, Portland, Salem-Keizer and Tigard-Tualatin school districts were chosen based on their commitments to meet the needs of underserved communities and incorporate the buses more broadly into student education around climate science.
“Electrifying transportation is a key driver of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and an important step toward reaching our goal of 100 percent clean energy for all Oregonians,” said Maria Pope, president and CEO of Portland General Electric. “Transitioning to all-electric school buses ensures that children and communities benefit. We are pleased to partner with school districts across the state.”
This is the third year of electric school bus competitive grant awards. In 2020, PGE funded the first five electric school buses in Oregon and last year, PGE awarded grants for seven school buses.
The Electric School Bus Fund covers the incremental cost of electric school buses (the difference in cost between a standard diesel bus and an electric bus) and can provide up to $50,000 towards the installation of charging infrastructure. PGE also provides technical assistance to school districts throughout the process, including site assessments, cost-benefit analysis, vehicle and charger selection support and driver and mechanic support. In return, participating school districts will work with PGE to share their insights and learnings with other school districts interested in electrifying their bus fleets.
For the third year, PGE is working in partnership with Pacific Power to support the Portland Public Schools’ electric school bus and related infrastructure.
Transportation is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon and a major source of other air pollutants. Benefits of electric school buses include:
Cleaner air
Safety and comfort
Lower cost
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About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For more than 130 years, PGE has powered the advancement of society, delivering safe, affordable, and reliable energy to Oregonians. PGE and its approximately 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE is committed to achieving at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2040. In 2021, PGE became the first U.S. utility to join The Climate Pledge. For the eighth year in a row PGE achieved a perfect score on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. In 2021, PGE, employees, retirees, and the PGE Foundation donated $4.8 million and volunteered 15,760 hours with more than 300 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news.
Green Future program again ranks No. 1
PORTLAND, Ore. — With over 225,000 residential and commercial customers voluntarily enrolled in its Green FutureSM program, Portland General Electric and its customers are again celebrating being the nation’s leaders in renewable energy.
For the 13th year*, PGE has held the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s No. 1 ranking for the largest participation of business and residential renewable energy customers in a renewables program of any U.S. electric utility.
Over the 23-year life of the program, Green Future customers have chosen low-carbon, renewable energy in support of a clean energy future for all.
“Our customers are deeply committed to accelerating the transition to a clean energy future,” said Maria Pope, president and CEO of PGE. “More than a quarter of PGE’s business and residential customers choose renewable power, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, investing in innovative clean energy solutions and strengthening our state’s economy.”
The Green Future renewable energy program helps customers support clean, new renewable energy equal to all or part of their energy use each month. In addition, the program gives back to communities by funding renewable energy projects through the PGE Renewable Development Fund (RDF).
The RDF offers competitive grant awards for applicants to deploy their own clean energy projects like solar installations at Headwaters Farm and Chemeketa Community College and cogeneration projects. Grants are awarded through an open and competitive application process. To date, the fund has awarded $16.5 million to 75 projects, bringing online more than 16.6 MW of renewable generation.
PGE also received the No. 1 ranking for the most megawatt hours of renewable energy sold, with over 2 million megawatt hours in green power sales in 2021.
As a fully integrated electric company, PGE can seamlessly integrate and deploy the technologies that enable cleaner, more affordable and equitably distributed energy across the largest system in Oregon.
For more information, visit portlandgeneral.com/greenfuture.
*NREL did not release rankings in 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 16, 2022 Portland, Ore, — Yesterday, community leaders, Portland General Electric (PGE) retirees and employees gathered at the decommissioned Boardman coal plant to watch as demolition experts knocked down the stack and boiler at the closed generation facility. Viewers, gathered at a safe distance, celebrated this milestone in Oregon’s energy journey, honoring the plant’s 40-year history and marking the end of an era. Careful placement of explosives, planned and handled by engineers and explosive specialists, allowed the 656-foot-tall smokestack and boiler to complete a controlled fall. Explosives triggered within seconds of each other caused the stack and boiler to come down over a matter of seconds, releasing a shower of dust and residual ash that quickly dissipated. “From 1980 to 2020, the plant provided reliable energy to Oregon, and served as the workhorse of our generation portfolio,” said Brad Jenkins, PGE’s Vice President of Utility Operations. “While the demolition of Boardman, Oregon’s last coal plant, represents another key step in PGE’s clean energy journey, this milestone would not have been achieved without the effort put into this facility by so many.” The decision to close Boardman 20 years ahead of schedule was a ground-breaking clean energy commitment made more than ten years prior to the closure through an agreement with stakeholders, customer groups and regulators. During the transition period, PGE worked closely with the local community and plant employees to support them through the process, providing benefits that included a comprehensive retention and severance package, education and job training, and help with placement at other PGE facilities or in new careers. Since 2010, PGE has implemented solid resource plans to help ensure a reliable supply of power for customers. These plans focus on renewables and other non-emitting, clean energy resources, including Wheatridge – a first-of-its-scale wind, solar and battery storage plant less than 30 miles down the road. “Morrow County is honored to be the seat of both the past and future of energy generation in Oregon,” said Don Russell, Morrow County Commissioner. The demolition was one step of many in a thorough environmental cleanup process currently taking place at the plant. PGE expects demolition and decommissioning to be fully complete by the spring of 2023. Watch footage from the demolition on PGE’s newsroom. #### About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For more than 130 years, PGE has powered the advancement of society, delivering safe, affordable, and reliable energy to Oregonians. PGE and its approximately 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE is committed to achieving at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2040. In 2021, PGE became the first U.S. utility to join The Climate Pledge. For the ninth year in a row PGE achieved a perfect score on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. In 2021, PGE, employees, retirees, and the PGE Foundation donated $4.8 million and volunteered 15,760 hours with more than 300 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news. Oregon’s last coal plant demolished in Eastern Oregon
Paving the way for a cleaner future, the stack and boiler
at PGE’s decommissioned Boardman plant comes down
SOURCE: Portland General Company (POR)
PGE, contractors and mutual assistance crews complete safety-related inspections, repairs.
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 11, 2022 — Today, Portland General Electric finalized restoration to customers impacted by the company’s proactive public safety power shut-off (PSPS) and preventive power shutoffs implemented on Sept. 9 and 10. These safety measures affecting 17 areas and approximately 37,000 customers were taken in response to extreme fire conditions and hot, strong wind gusts.
“PGE appreciates our customers’ patience as we prioritized the safety of people and communities where we work, live and serve,” said Larry Bekkedahl, senior vice president of Advanced Energy Delivery, PGE. “This critical work was completed through close collaboration with community leaders and emergency responders.”
Nearly 500 operational personnel including 112 PGE, contractor and mutual assistance crews worked around-the-clock shifts patrolling, inspecting and making necessary repairs to safely restore power from PSPS and preventive outages.
PGE’s Community Resource Centers served approximately 2475 people during the course of the event, providing access to charging for personal electronics, Wi-Fi and distributing ice and water.
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About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For more than 130 years, PGE has powered the advancement of society, delivering safe, affordable, and reliable energy to Oregonians. PGE and its approximately 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE is committed to achieving at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2040. In 2021, PGE became the first U.S. utility to join The Climate Pledge. For the eighth year in a row PGE achieved a perfect score on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. In 2021, PGE, employees, retirees, and the PGE Foundation donated $4.8 million and volunteered 15,760 hours with more than 300 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news.
UPDATE: WORK CONTINUES TO RESTORE POWER FOR PGE CUSTOMERS
As of 7:00 p.m.
Restoration efforts are now underway for all 10 Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) and the areas where PGE proactively turned off power. At this time, power is starting to come back on for customers in the following PSPS areas:
Crews are patrolling, inspecting and repairing approximately 1,800 miles of lines so that power may safely be restored. For the most up to date information on the PSPS please go to https://portlandgeneral.com/active-psps-info. Customers experiencing outages outside of the PSPS areas please go to https://portlandgeneral.com/outages.
PREVIOUS RELEASE: 3:00 p.m.
WORK BEGINS TO RESTORE POWER FOR PGE CUSTOMERS
Crews at work re-energizing and restoring part of PGE’s system following safety-related shutoffs
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 10, 2022 — Service is starting to come back on for 5,365 Portland General Electric customers in the Southern West Hills and restoration efforts are underway for another 9,385 customers in the Scotts Mills, Central West Hills, North West Hills and Tualatin Mountain areas among 10 Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) areas. Restoration efforts are also underway in Silver Falls, an area where PGE proactively turned power off in response to strong wind gusts and extreme fire conditions to help protect people and communities. Estimated restoration times for these areas will be available on portlandgeneral.com/outages.
Conditions in these areas began returning to normal earlier today, allowing PGE crews, contractors, and mutual assistance crews from Avista, BC Hydro, PG&E and the Snohomish Public Utility District to begin patrolling and visually inspecting all PGE lines and equipment. Repairs were not needed on the main backbone in the Southern West Hills area, allowing power to be turned on for some customers. Restoration is expected to start in PSPS areas including Scotts Mills, Central West Hills, North West Hills and Tualatin Mountain, and in Silver Falls, which was shut off as a preventive measure. Restoration will begin in these areas if patrols and inspections indicate conditions are safe.
Strong winds continue gusting in the remaining five PSPS areas and in six additional areas where PGE implemented preventive power shutoffs in partnership with local government officials and fire agencies. Current weather conditions are stabilizing in our southwest service area, however gusty winds near Mt. Hood are anticipated to bring extreme conditions later this evening. When weather conditions allow, crews will begin patrolling, inspecting and repairing any damaged lines and equipment so that power may safely be restored.
Safety is our top concern. PGE appreciates the patience of customers who have been without power and those waiting for their service to be restored and will continue providing updates at least every 24 hours on portlandgeneral.com/psps. Crews will work as soon as weather allows and then as quickly as safely possible to restore the remaining approximately 17,000 customers affected by PGE’s proactive outages.
To help affected customers and communities during the event, PGE currently will continue operating 5 Community Resource Centers from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day, until power is fully restored in all areas. Information, bottled water, ice, access to charging for personal devices and Wi-Fi will be available.
The latest information and updates are available on portlandgeneral.com/psps and through customer service at 503-228-6322, where representatives can assist in more than 200 languages. PGE is also providing updates on Facebook and Twitter, in addition to direct communications with customers.
About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For more than 130 years, PGE has powered the advancement of society, delivering safe, affordable, and reliable energy to Oregonians. PGE and its approximately 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE is committed to achieving at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2040. In 2021, PGE became the first U.S. utility to join The Climate Pledge. For the eighth year in a row PGE achieved a perfect score on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. In 2021, PGE, employees, retirees, and the PGE Foundation donated $4.8 million and volunteered 15,760 hours with more than 300 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news.
High winds and emergency response necessitate unplanned outages
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 10, 2022 — As of 5:00 a.m. today, PGE has turned off power in limited portions of five new areas, increasing the total number of preventive power outages to help reduce the risk of wildfire to seven since early Friday morning. We currently have a total of approximately 37,000 customer homes and businesses currently without power.
The five new preventive power outages occurred in limited portions of Southwest Scotts Mills, South Molalla, George, Colton and Sandy, affecting approximately 1,675 customers. These areas were at higher risk of fire given unique and extreme weather conditions including strong wind gusts of up to 40 MPH, which also necessitated a location change for one of PGE’s Community Resource Center locations. De-energization decisions are made in partnership with local government partners and fire agencies to help protect people and property by mitigating fire potential as strong dry winds, low relative humidity and an unstable atmosphere exacerbate fire conditions statewide.
Current forecasts predict extreme weather conditions to subside this afternoon. Unless conditions change and assuming no damage to PGE’s system, power restoration could begin as early as this evening. Damage to our equipment and/or system could delay efforts to restore power to customers. PGE will continue providing updates at least every 24 hours until power is fully restored.
To help reduce the impact on affected customers and communities, PGE Community Resource Centers will remain open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day, until power is fully restored to the areas. Information, bottled water, ice, access to charging for personal devices and Wi-Fi will be available. More information is available on portlandgeneral.com/psps; locations include:
The State of Oregon and several counties are also providing resources. Call 2-1-1 or 1-866-698-6155 for a complete list of resources in impacted areas.
As soon as weather conditions safely allow, PGE will begin inspecting all power lines and equipment to make any necessary repairs to lines and equipment so power can be safely turned on. PGE, contract and mutual assistance crews are preparing for restoration and responding to unplanned outages caused by high gusty winds.
PGE will continue communicating with customers in the impacted areas and will share information with news media, social media and other channels. Customers can find the latest information on portlandgeneral.com/psps, by following PGE on social media -- @PortlandGeneral on Twitter and @PortlandGeneralElectric on Facebook or by calling customer service at 503-228-6322. Our advisors can provide assistance in more than 200 languages.
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About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For more than 130 years, PGE has powered the advancement of society, delivering safe, affordable, and reliable energy to Oregonians. PGE and its approximately 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE is committed to achieving at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2040. In 2021, PGE became the first U.S. utility to join The Climate Pledge. For the eighth year in a row PGE achieved a perfect score on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. In 2021, PGE, employees, retirees, and the PGE Foundation donated $4.8 million and volunteered 15,760 hours with more than 300 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news.
Dangerous conditions, extreme fire danger expected to prolong outage
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 9, 2022 — As of 1 p.m. today, PGE turned off power to approximately 30,000 customer homes and businesses located in 10 designated PSPS areas and two additional areas with high fire risk as a safety measure to help protect people, property and the environment.
The 10 designated PSPS areas are as follows: Mt. Hood Corridor and Foothills (Area 1); Columbia River Gorge (Area 2); Oregon City (Area 3); Estacada (Area 4); Scotts Mills (Area 5); Portland West Hills (Area 6); Tualatin Mountains (Area 7); Northwest Hills (Area 8); Central West Hills (Area 9); and Southern West Hills (Area 10).
In partnership with local officials, PGE also implemented preventive outages in two additional areas: Silverdale/Corbett and Silver Falls. PGE turned off power in these limited areas with higher risk of fire in response to unique and extreme weather conditions. If there is need identified by PGE and emergency responders to proactively shut off power in other areas to protect people and property, we will do so.
If the event duration is as anticipated and assuming there is no damage to our system, power restoration could begin as early as Saturday evening. Damage to our equipment and/or system could create delays in restoration timing. To help reduce the impact on affected customers and communities, PGE will provide updates at least every 24 hours until power is fully restored.
PGE Community Resource Centers are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day, until power is fully restored to the areas. Information, bottled water, ice, access to charging for personal devices and Wi-Fi will be available. More information can be found on portlandgeneral.com/psps; locations include:
The State of Oregon and several counties are also providing resources. Call 2-1-1 or 1-866-698-6155 for a complete list of resources in your area.
PGE will monitor conditions and as soon as weather conditions return to normal, will begin inspecting all power lines and equipment to make necessary repairs so lines and equipment can be safely re-energized. PGE, contract and mutual assistance crews are preparing the system for restoration and responding to unplanned outages caused by high gusty winds, and when weather normalizes, will work as quickly as safety allows to restore power.
PGE will continue communicating directly with customers in the impacted areas and will share information with news media, social media and other channels. Customers can find the latest information on portlandgeneral.com/psps, by following PGE on social media -- @PortlandGeneral on Twitter and @PortlandGeneralElectric on Facebook or by calling customer service at 503-228-6322. Our advisors can provide assistance in more than 200 languages.
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About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For more than 130 years, PGE has powered the advancement of society, delivering safe, affordable, and reliable energy to Oregonians. PGE and its approximately 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE is committed to achieving at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2040. In 2021, PGE became the first U.S. utility to join The Climate Pledge. For the eighth year in a row PGE achieved a perfect score on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. In 2021, PGE, employees, retirees, and the PGE Foundation donated $4.8 million and volunteered 15,760 hours with more than 300 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news.
Contact Info:
PGE Communications, PGECommunications@pgn.com; 503-464-2067
Given expected weather conditions PGE also asks all customers to prepare for outages
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 8, 2022 — Due to the imminent high, gusty winds during extreme fire conditions, Portland General Electric announced today that it will initiate a public safety power shutoff (PSPS) for approximately 30,000 customer homes and businesses located in 10 designated PSPS areas and two additional areas with high fire risk. The 10 designated PSPS areas are as follows: Mt. Hood Corridor and Foothills (Area 1); Columbia River Gorge (Area 2); Oregon City (Area 3); Estacada (Area 4); Scotts Mills (Area 5); Portland West Hills (Area 6); Tualatin Mountains (Area 7); Northwest Hills (Area 8); Central West Hills (Area 9); and Southern West Hills (Area 10).
In partnership with local officials, we are also planning preventive outages in two additional areas: Silverdale/Corbett and Silver Falls. These actions are a proactive measure to reduce the risk of wildfire during these extreme fire conditions and to help protect people, property and the communities we serve.
Winds are expected to increase overnight at higher elevations and move across our service territory through Friday morning into the afternoon. The most critical weather conditions are anticipated for late Friday evening into Saturday morning. Based on current information, PGE estimates public safety power shutoffs in PSPS areas will start Friday morning between 12:00 a.m. and noon. If the event duration is as anticipated and assuming there is no damage to our system, power restoration could begin as early as Saturday evening. Damage to our equipment and/or system could create delays in restoration timing.
Estimated power shut off start times by area for Friday, Sept. 9 are as follows:
In addition, while the following areas are not in the designated high fire risk zones or in the PSPS areas, because of the imminent high winds, the extreme fire conditions currently found in Oregon and in partnership with local officials, the areas of Silverdale/Corbett and Silver Falls will also experience preventive outages. We expect the outages for these two areas to start Friday, Sept. 9 between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Crews will be standing by, and as weather conditions allow PGE, will begin to physically inspect power lines and equipment and make any repairs necessary to safely restore power. PGE will provide updates at least every 24 hours until all customers regain power through email, text, social media, press releases, and at portlandgeneral.com.
At this time, PGE customers, and particularly those located in the 10 designated PSPS areas should go to portlandgeneral.com/psps and confirm if power to their address is scheduled to be turned off. After shutoff customers will receive an email and/or text notification confirming we are aware their power is out.
Weather conditions, particularly the high wind, create the potential for outages both within and outside of the high fire risk zones, so we encourage all customers to prepare to activate their emergency plan, gather their outage kit and if they rely on electricity for medical needs, implement their backup plan. Additionally, given the extreme weather conditions, PGE encourages all customers to be aware of their surroundings, pay extra attention to signage and to avoid downed power lines.
To help affected customers and communities during the event, PGE currently plans to open at least five Community Resource Centers from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day, until power is fully restored to the areas. Information, bottled water, ice, access to charging for personal devices and Wi-Fi will be available. More information can be found on portlandgeneral.com/psps; current planned locations include:
PGE is communicating directly with customers in the impacted areas and is raising awareness through news media, social media and other channels. Customers can find the latest information on portlandgeneral.com and on social media -- @PortlandGeneral on Twitter and @PortlandGeneralElectric on Facebook. Customers can speak with customer service advisors by calling 503-228-6322. Our advisors can provide assistance in more than 200 languages.
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About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For more than 130 years, PGE has powered the advancement of society, delivering safe, affordable, and reliable energy to Oregonians. PGE and its approximately 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE is committed to achieving at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2040. In 2021, PGE became the first U.S. utility to join The Climate Pledge. For the eighth year in a row PGE achieved a perfect score on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. In 2021, PGE, employees, retirees, and the PGE Foundation donated $4.8 million and volunteered 15,760 hours with more than 300 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news.
Contact Info:
PGE Communications, PGECommunications@pgn.com; 503-464-2067
Customer safety will drive a decision in the next 24-48 hours
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 7, 2022 —Portland General Electric announced that it is monitoring dangerous, high-risk fire conditions and is increasingly likely to call public safety power shutoffs (PSPSs) in 10 areas that are at a higher fire risk, affecting approximately 30,000 customer meters. A PSPS is when PGE turns off power in a limited, high-risk area to help reduce the risk of wildfire and to help protect people, property and the environment.
PGE is actively monitoring conditions and will make the decision based on factors including wind speed, temperature, humidity and the dryness of trees and brush, field observations and information from local fire departments and agencies. PGE will continue to monitor conditions for the next 24-48 hours and will provide an update. If conditions persist, PGE aims to provide up to four hours of notice before turning off power.
Weather forecasts indicate strong, gusty winds are predicted across PGE’s service area, starting as early as Friday morning. “PGE works year-round to help keep our system safe and resilient from wildfire, including managing over 2.2 million trees along 12,000 miles of power lines,” said Larry Bekkedahl, senior vice president of Advanced Energy Delivery, PGE. “However, we are expecting extreme winds that could cause outages. We are preparing to have crews at the ready to begin repairing damage following the high winds, as soon as conditions are safe.”
The 10 PSPS areas are shown in the map below. Customers in these areas should check portlandgeneral.com/psps to confirm if their power may be impacted. PGE encourages everyone who may be impacted by a PSPS or a weather-related outage to make an emergency plan and prepare an outage kit using the preparedness information that PGE sent to customers and that is also available on PGE’s website.
If PGE calls a PSPS in these areas, PGE will shut off power as long as necessary to protect against the risk of fire. A PSPS can last for multiple days. After weather conditions return to normal, PGE will begin to visually inspect its equipment and make any repairs necessary to safely re-energize lines. Based on current information, PGE estimates a PSPS could be called on Friday morning, and power could be out through Saturday night. Assuming this event duration and no damage to our system, power restoration would begin Sunday morning and power to customers could be restored by Monday night.
If PGE calls a PSPS in these areas, Community Resource Centers will likely be opened to provide information, water, ice, Wi-Fi and access to charging for personal electronics. More information will be provided in future updates.
PGE is communicating directly with customers in the impacted areas and will also communicate through the news media, on portlandgeneral.com/psps and on social media, @PortlandGeneral on Twitter and @PortlandGeneralElectric on Facebook, among other channels.
Customer service is available at 503-228-6322 and service advisors can assist customers in more than 200 languages.
About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For more than 130 years, PGE has powered the advancement of society, delivering safe, affordable, and reliable energy to Oregonians. PGE and its approximately 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE is committed to achieving at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2040. In 2021, PGE became the first U.S. utility to join The Climate Pledge. For the eighth year in a row PGE achieved a perfect score on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. In 2021, PGE, employees, retirees, and the PGE Foundation donated $4.8 million and volunteered 15,760 hours with more than 300 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news.