US-based PG&E Negotiating to Microgrid an Existing Power Plant in Wildfire Strategy

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has rolled out a new plan to keep power flowing during the 2020 wildfire season, which includes forming a microgrid from an existing natural gas-fired plant. The California utility outlined its strategy in an April 1 filing before the California Public Utilities Commission. The new plan replaces a program to install permanent microgrids this year at 20 substations. The utility recently announced that it was temporarily suspending the 20 microgrids after it became clear it would be difficult to build them by September, the traditional beginning of wildfire season. The purpose of the microgrids — and the new plan — is to keep the power flowing to customers if the utility is again forced to enact public safety power shutoffs — the de-energizing of lines to prevent them from sparking wildfires. The shutoffs last Fall caused power outages in northern California that crippled business and day-to-day activities. The utility is now negotiating with the owner of the 44-MW Red Bluff power plant to make the plant capable of acting as a microgrid — going into island mode — when it is necessary to de-energize lines that serve two substations, Rawson and Tyler.

Source : https://bit.ly/2x3dtlq