PG&E Corp

The Utility may be unable to attract and retain specialty personnel and may face workforce disruptions.

The Utility’s workforce is aging, and many employees are or will become eligible to retire within the next few years. The Utility’s efforts to recruit and train new field service personnel may be ineffective, and the Utility may be faced with a shortage of experienced and qualified personnel in certain specialty operational positions. Additionally, the Utility could experience workforce disruptions from personnel in those positions as a result of labor activity, the COVID-19 pandemic or other pandemics, or governmental regulation of pandemic protections. If the Utility were to experience such a shortage or disruptions, work stoppages could occur.

Any such occurrences could materially affect PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

Risks Related to Environmental Factors

Severe weather events, extended drought, and climate change could materially affect PG&E Corporation and the Utility.

Extreme weather, drought and shifting climate patterns have intensified the challenges associated with many of the other risks facing PG&E Corporation and the Utility, particularly wildfire management in California. The Utility’s service area encompasses some of the most densely forested areas in California and, as a consequence, is subject to higher risk from vegetation-related ignition events than other California IOUs. Further, environmental extremes, such as drought conditions and extreme heat followed by periods of wet weather, can drive additional vegetation growth (which can then fuel fires) and influence both the likelihood and severity of extraordinary wildfire events. In particular, the risk posed by wildfires, including during the recent wildfire seasons, has increased in the Utility’s service area as a result of an ongoing extended period of drought, bark beetle infestations in the California forest, and wildfire fuel increases due to rising temperatures and record rainfall following the drought, and strong wind events, among other environmental factors. Precipitation patterns in California vary significantly from year to year, often leading to periods of severe to extreme drought. Drought conditions often occur and can persist in nearly all of the Utility’s service area depending on the amount of precipitation received in the current or previous water years. More than half of the Utility’s service area is in an HFTD. Contributing factors other than environmental can include local land use policies and historical forestry management practices. The combined effects of extreme weather and climate change also impact this risk. In January 2018, the CPUC approved a statewide fire-threat map that shows that approximately half of the Utility’s service area is facing “elevated” or “extreme” fire danger. Approximately 25,000 circuit miles of the Utility’s nearly 80,000 distribution overhead circuit miles and approximately 5,500 miles of the nearly 18,000 transmission overhead circuit miles are in such HFTDs, significantly more in total than other California IOUs.

Severe weather events and other natural disasters, including wildfires and other fires, storms, tornadoes, floods, extreme heat events, drought, earthquakes, lightning, tsunamis, rising sea levels, pandemics, solar events, electromagnetic events, wind events or other weather-related conditions, climate change, or natural disasters, could result in severe business or operational disruptions, prolonged power outages, property damage, injuries and loss of life, significant decreases in revenues and earnings, and significant additional costs to PG&E Corporation and the Utility. Any such event could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows. Any such event also could lead to significant claims against the Utility. Further, these events could result in regulatory penalties and disallowances, particularly if the Utility encounters difficulties in restoring power to its customers on a timely basis or if the related losses are found to be the result of the Utility’s practices or the failure of electric and other equipment of the Utility.

Further, the Utility has been studying the potential effects of climate change (increased severity and frequency of storm events, sea level rise, land subsidence, change in temperature extremes, changes in precipitation patterns and drought, and wildfire) on its assets, operations, and services, and the Utility is developing adaptation plans to set forth a strategy for those events and conditions that the Utility believes are most significant. Consequences of these climate-driven events may vary widely and could include increased stress on the energy supply network due to new patterns of demand, reduced hydroelectric output, physical damage to the Utility’s infrastructure, higher operational costs, and an increase in the number and duration of customer outages and safety consequences for both employees and customers. As a result, the Utility’s hydroelectric generation could change, and the Utility would need to consider managing or acquiring additional generation. If the Utility increases its reliance on conventional generation resources to replace hydroelectric generation and to meet increased customer demand, it may become more costly for the Utility to comply with GHG emissions limits. In addition, climate hazards such as heatwaves, windstorms, and flooding caused by rising sea levels and extreme storms could damage the Utility’s facilities, including gas, generation, and electric transmission and distribution assets. The Utility could incur substantial costs to repair or replace facilities, restore service, or compensate customers and other third parties for damages or injuries, or regulators could order the Utility to perform additional work. The Utility anticipates that the increased costs would generally be recovered through rates, but as rate pressures increase, the likelihood of disallowance or non-recovery may increase. See “Concerns about high rates for the Utility’s customers could negatively impact PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows” below.

Events or conditions caused by climate change could have a material impact on the Utility’s operations and could result in lower revenues or increased expenses, or both. If the CPUC fails to adjust the Utility’s rates to reflect the impact of events or conditions caused by climate change, PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows could be materially affected.