SDG&E wins national award for best electric reliability in America, outstanding reliability in the West and grid sustainability

SAN DIEGO – In recognition of San Diego Gas & Electric’s continued superior performance and innovation in the utility industry, PA Consulting honored the company Nov.17 with three of its most prestigious awards: Outstanding Reliability Performance in the West Region Metropolitan Service Area (also known as the “Best in the West”), Outstanding Grid Sustainability, and the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability award.

This is SDG&E’s second national award and 16th consecutive year it has received the ReliabilityOne® Award for Outstanding Reliability Performance among utilities on the west coast.

“For 21 years, the ReliabilityOne® Awards have highlighted outstanding electric utility providers who are focused on resiliently building a more positive future for their customers,” said Gregg Edeson, PA Consulting’s ReliabilityOne® Program Director. “We are pleased to name San Diego Gas and Electric Company as an industry leader for delivering outstanding service and restoration efforts while balancing customer needs and optimizing investments.”

SDG&E has invested in innovative, state-of-the-art technologies and programs since 2007 that have made it an industry leader in wildfire safety, grid resiliency and sustainability. The company has implemented grid hardening efforts and integrated enhanced situational awareness tools, like wildfire modeling and drones, to identify potential wildfire risks and reduce customer impacts associated with outages.

“It is an honor to be recognized at a national level by PA Consulting in this year’s ReliabilityOne® awards” said Caroline Winn, SDG&E’s CEO. “Innovation and progress are at the heart of our company culture and we will continue to pursue every opportunity to enhance grid resiliency, advance sustainability and keep our region safe in the face of a dynamic climate and worsening wildfire threat conditions.”

While the company shared the national stage with Florida Power & Light, this is also the 16th consecutive year that SDG&E has received the ReliabilityOne® Award for ‘Outstanding Reliability Performance’ among utilities in the West. To be named the most reliable utility in a metropolitan service area in the Western United States means electricity is available when customers need it, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with fewer interruptions than elsewhere in the West. The ReliabilityOne® Awards are given annually to utilities in eight regions that have excelled in delivering the most reliable electric service to its customers.

The award is also especially meaningful to the company given the operational challenges brought on by the ongoing pandemic. “It is a reflection of the work of our 4,500 incredible employees who show up each day to advance this mission and provide the safest, cleanest and most reliable service to our customers,” said Winn.

Despite the challenges the past two years have presented, utility workers continued to show up to carry out essential services, hardening efforts, repairs and maintenance to keep the lights on for 3.6 million customers in San Diego and Southern Orange counties, many of whom depended on reliable energy service more than ever before due to stay at home orders.

“Our IBEW 465 Union Utility Workers are extremely proud of the national recognition SDG&E is receiving for reliability,” said Nate Fairman, Business Manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Labor Union 465. “These awards are earned through hard work, dedication and commitment from our frontline employees as well as a strong partnership with the communities we serve. These awards are shared with every single worker who helped keep the lights on during these challenging times.”

The IBEW Local 465 represents roughly 2,800 active members throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties, approx. 1,500 of which lend their unique talents to San Diego Gas & Electric.

“Our partnership with the IBEW Local Labor Union 465 has been essential to ensuring our customers receive safe and reliable energy during some of our most challenging times as a company,” said Winn. “We share this award with them and the crews who go above and beyond with their craft and unique skills to modernize our infrastructure and strengthen the grid.”