California Utilities Regulator Okays $45 Million Penalty for PG&E Over 2021 Dixie Fire

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a $45 million settlement agreement between its Safety and Enforcement Division (SED) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), for the utility’s part in the destructive 2021 Dixie wildfire.

The Dixie fire started on July 13, 2021, after a tree fell on PG&E electrical distribution wires, resulting in more than 963,000 acres being burned across multiple counties.

The agreement consists of a $2.5 million fine to the California General Fund, $2.5 million payment to tribes impacted by the fire for remediation, and $40 million for capital expenditures to transition records to electronic format.

The settlement agreement was reached after SED concluded its investigation and issued an Administrative Consent Order.

“PG&E will not request rate recovery for these expenses, so these costs will not impact customers,” the company said in a mailed statement.

New technologies are being introduced that can detect potential threats to the electric grid and rapidly reduce or shut off power to help prevent wildfire ignitions, PG&E said in its statement.

(Reporting by Paswan in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Tom Hogue)