APS workers will help rebuild grid in fire areas

Arizona Public Service Co. will be sending about 40 utility workers to the forest community near Chico, California, to help Pacific Gas & Electric Co. rebuild its power grid in the aftermath of the Camp Fire.

The deadly wildfire began Nov. 8 and has become the most deadly in the state’s history, with 81 confirmed fatalities so far.

Electric utilities in the U.S. have mutual assistance agreements to help one another rebuild power lines and poles in natural disasters to get customers’ homes and businesses connected to the grid as fast as possible.

PG&E put out the call for assistance three days ago, and APS and other utilities responded with what crews they could make available. Monday, PG&E told APS it could use its crews, said Tony Tewelis, an APS general manager of power transmission and distribution.

“We always feel it is our obligation to help serve our customers and our communities,” Tewelis said. “Even though this is not APS ... there is that sense of obligation. We have a lot of employees when the request went out there, they stepped up and answered the call, and we are very proud of them.”

PG&E reported Monday it has 2,000 workers restoring power in the fire area. Multiple utilities will be sending crews to assist the company.

Crews may face rain and the possibility of mudslides in the fire zone. The

fire itself is about 80 percent contained.

Crews that leave Arizona to work on mutual-assistance projects continue to get paid by their own utility, which eventually will be reimbursed by PG&E.

APS and Salt River Project crews have responded to a variety of disasters in recent years, from the 2017’s Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico to Superstorm Sandy in New York in 2012.

A group of 21 APS workers is expected to depart Saturday for Paradise, California, to begin rebuilding the small power lines that serve neighborhoods.

Tewelis said PG&E has about 20,000 customers without power, although about half of those structures have burned in the fire.

“We want to make sure we can connect those customers that are waiting now,” he said.

On Dec. 1, APS is expected to send another crew of workers to rebuild and repair the large transmission lines in the area.