PG&E Launches Drone Inspections of Central Coast Power Lines Ahead of Winter Storms

Short daytime drone flights will photograph remote lines to flag maintenance needs without planned outages.

Overview

Flights are scheduled over the next three weeks across Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties.
Each site will be flown for roughly 10–45 minutes during daylight for aerial photography of PG&E equipment in hard-to-reach corridors.
Inspectors will identify equipment issues or vegetation encroachment and issue work tags for local electric or vegetation crews.
PG&E says inspections and any follow-up work are not expected to impact customer power.
Focus areas include Nipomo and locations near Lompoc, West Santa Maria, and Orcutt, with a public helpline at 1-877-295-4949 for questions.