Pacific Gas and Electric Company
A regulated California utility supplying electricity and natural gas across Northern and Central California.
Last updated October 23, 2026
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Overview
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, commonly known as PG&E, is an American investor-owned utility and the principal operating subsidiary of PG&E Corporation. The company provides electricity and natural-gas distribution services to customers across the northern two-thirds of California, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento region, much of the Sierra foothills, and communities extending south toward Bakersfield and northern Santa Barbara County. Its service territory reaches approximately to the Oregon and Nevada borders and encompasses millions of households, businesses, and public institutions. PG&E was created in 1905 through the consolidation of San Francisco Gas and Electric Company and California Gas and Electric Corporation. Its predecessors had developed gas lighting, electric generation, hydroelectric facilities, transmission lines, and urban transit infrastructure during the rapid industrial growth of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century California. The merger combined a major San Francisco utility market with a growing regional power network and enabled the company to expand through further acquisitions and the integration of hydroelectric resources. The company’s business has historically centered on regulated energy delivery rather than consumer products. Its principal activities are the generation procurement and transmission or distribution of electricity, the distribution of natural gas, operation and maintenance of utility infrastructure, and programs intended to improve reliability, energy efficiency, wildfire safety, and the transition toward lower-carbon energy. PG&E operates under the oversight of the California Public Utilities Commission and is one of California’s regulated investor-owned electric utilities. PG&E’s history includes major infrastructure expansion, the transition from manufactured gas to imported natural gas, extensive hydroelectric development, and the acquisition of regional utility systems. It also includes serious environmental, safety, and governance controversies. Hexavalent chromium used at compressor stations in the 1950s and 1960s contributed to groundwater contamination near Hinkley, California. The company was also held responsible by state investigators for equipment-related wildfires, including the 2018 Camp Fire and the 2017 North Bay fires. The resulting potential liabilities, together with California’s utility wildfire-liability rules, led PG&E to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2019. PG&E exited bankruptcy in 2020 under a court-approved reorganization plan. The plan addressed wildfire claims, funded a wildfire victims’ trust, and reshaped the company’s financial and governance arrangements while preserving regulated utility operations. PG&E continues to serve California customers, with its public profile strongly shaped by wildfire prevention, equipment hardening, vegetation management, grid modernization, emergency preparedness, and the reliability challenges associated with climate change.
History
The origins of PG&E lie in San Francisco’s nineteenth-century gas and electric businesses. San Francisco Gas Company was incorporated in 1852 after the city authorized construction of a gasworks and street-lighting network. Its plant began operating in 1854, making gas lighting available to San Francisco residents and businesses. Competition later emerged from rival gas companies and electric-light providers. Consolidation gradually brought these enterprises under common ownership, and San Francisco Gas Light Company merged with Edison Light and Power Company in 1896 to form San Francisco Gas and Electric Company. At the same time, John Martin and Eugene de Sabla were developing hydroelectric and transmission projects in Northern California. Their companies acquired and built power facilities and assembled a regional electricity business. In 1903 they formed California Gas & Electric Company to consolidate gas and electric properties. On October 10, 1905, California Gas & Electric Corporation and San Francisco Gas and Electric Company were combined to create Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Although parts of the predecessor organizations retained separate corporate identities for several years, the merger established the modern PG&E system. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire severely damaged the company’s urban infrastructure. Several plants and distribution systems were destroyed or disrupted, but surviving facilities and PG&E’s financial resources allowed the company to participate in the city’s reconstruction. PG&E expanded through acquisitions, including the Sacramento Electric, Gas and Railway Company in 1906. Its Sacramento streetcar operations eventually ended after the rail division was sold during the 1940s and remaining services were converted or abandoned. During the early twentieth century, PG&E assembled a large integrated utility network by acquiring hydroelectric facilities, reservoirs, dams, canals, transmission systems, and local gas and electric companies. By the 1910s it had become one of the Pacific Coast’s largest integrated utilities. Consolidation continued through the 1920s and 1930s, including the acquisition of major California utility systems and the development of a broad customer base across Northern California. PG&E began delivering natural gas to San Francisco and other Northern California markets in 1930 through a long-distance pipeline system connected to Texas gas fields. The arrival of natural gas reduced reliance on coal- and oil-based manufactured gas and led to the retirement of many older gasworks. The company subsequently operated a large network of transmission and distribution pipelines, compressor stations, and local delivery infrastructure. The company’s environmental record includes contamination associated with the use of hexavalent chromium at compressor stations near Topock, Arizona, and Hinkley, California, during the 1950s and 1960s. Wastewater from cooling towers contaminated groundwater near Hinkley and later became widely known through litigation and public reporting. In the twenty-first century, wildfire risk became the defining challenge for PG&E. Investigations by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection found that PG&E equipment played a primary role in causing several major fires, including the 2018 Camp Fire, described as California’s deadliest wildfire. Because state law can impose financial responsibility on utilities for fires started by their equipment even where negligence is disputed, the resulting claims threatened the company’s solvency. PG&E filed for Chapter 11 protection in January 2019. A bankruptcy plan approved in 2020 enabled PG&E to emerge while establishing mechanisms for wildfire-claim payments and reorganizing its financial structure. Since then, the company has emphasized vegetation management, inspections, transmission and distribution upgrades, system hardening, public-safety power shutoffs, and expanded wildfire-mitigation programs. It remains a regulated utility serving California customers under the oversight of the California Public Utilities Commission.
- 2020
Bankruptcy exit
[1]The company exits Chapter 11 after court approval of a restructuring plan addressing wildfire claims.
- 2019
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
[1]PG&E seeks bankruptcy protection in response to wildfire-related liabilities and claims.
- 2018
Camp Fire and other wildfire investigations
[1]State investigations identify PG&E infrastructure as primarily responsible for several devastating California fires.
- 1930
Natural-gas delivery reaches Northern California
[1]PG&E begins receiving and distributing natural gas through a long-distance pipeline connection to Texas gas fields.
- 1906
PG&E responds to the San Francisco earthquake
[1]The earthquake and subsequent fire destroy or damage major utility infrastructure, while surviving facilities support reconstruction.
- 1905
Pacific Gas and Electric Company is formed
[1]California Gas & Electric Corporation and San Francisco Gas and Electric Company merge on October 10.
- 1896
Gas and electric operations are consolidated
[1]San Francisco Gas Light Company and Edison Light and Power Company combine to form San Francisco Gas and Electric Company.
- 1854
San Francisco gas lighting begins
[1]The city’s streets are illuminated by the new gas utility, marking an early foundation of PG&E’s predecessor operations.
- 1852
San Francisco Gas Company is incorporated
[1]A predecessor company is established to manufacture gas and operate street lighting in San Francisco.
Products and positioning
Large regulated integrated utility focused on electricity and natural-gas delivery in California.
Utility service · 1905
Electricity service
PG&E delivers electricity to residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and public-sector customers through a regulated transmission and distribution system. The service includes meter operation, billing, outage response, connection and disconnection, and reliability and safety programs. Electricity is supplied through a combination of owned resources, contracted generation, and the broader California power market.
Utility service · 1930
Natural-gas service
PG&E distributes natural gas through regional transmission and local distribution infrastructure serving homes, businesses, and industrial users. The business developed from San Francisco’s manufactured-gas companies and expanded substantially after the company began importing natural gas to Northern California in 1930.
Infrastructure and safety program
Wildfire safety and grid modernization
The company’s current service portfolio includes programs intended to reduce wildfire risk and improve resilience. These activities include equipment inspection, vegetation management, system hardening, enhanced monitoring, undergrounding or targeted replacement of infrastructure, and operating procedures such as planned power shutoffs during dangerous conditions.
Controversies
2026
PG&E fined $22 million over Mosquito Fire in settlement
The California Public Utilities Commission approved a $22 million penalty against Pacific Gas & Electric as part of a settlement over the 2022 Mosquito Fire in Placer County, which destroyed 78 structures and burned nearly 77,000 acres. The CPUC found violations in PG&E's design, construction, and maintenance of electrical lines, while PG&E denied fault and negligence in the settlement.
2021
California utility commission fines PG&E over 2019 power shutoffs
California's Public Utilities Commission announced a $106 million fine against Pacific Gas & Electric Company for violating guidelines during planned power shutoffs in fall 2019. The commission said $86 million was offset by customer bill credits already provided, leaving $20 million for PG&E to pay; the decision would become final unless appealed within 30 days.
2021
PG&E settles San Francisco gas-plant pollution lawsuit
PG&E entered a settlement in a lawsuit over pollution from its former manufactured gas plants in San Francisco. The deal requires PG&E to fund a contamination study, notify parties of potential contamination before covered excavation projects, and pay for specified soil testing, removal and replacement costs for five years.
2020
PG&E fined $900,000 over pipeline violations linked to 2017 explosion
Pacific Gas & Electric was cited and fined $900,000 for pipeline violations that a report linked to a 2017 gas explosion in San Francisco. According to the report, a California Public Utilities Commission investigation found that the company had failed to properly abandon a service line, remove a plug and seal the line in 2003. The fine and citation concerned those pipeline violations.
2020
PG&E fined over Camp Fire deaths
In a controversy noted in the brand's record, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) was fined $4 million in connection with the deaths of 84 people in the 2018 Camp Fire. According to the source report, the fire was sparked by the company's electrical grid. The penalty followed a plea agreement that had been reached three months earlier. The event was reported on June 18, 2020.
2020
PG&E sentenced and fined over fatal 2018 wildfire
A Butte County Superior Court judge imposed a $4 million fine on Pacific Gas & Electric for the deaths of 84 people in a 2018 wildfire. The company had reached a plea agreement three months earlier to resolve manslaughter and other charges. PG&E expressed regret and apologized for the loss of life and damage resulting from the fire.
2019
PG&E pledges to improve customer communications after power shutoffs
In October 2019, Pacific Gas & Electric pledged to improve communications with customers following its power shutoffs. In a letter to state regulators, CEO Bill Johnson identified customer communication as an area needing significant improvement. The commitment addressed how the utility communicated with customers around the shutoffs.
2019
PG&E reaches tentative wildfire claims settlement
PG&E announced that it had reached a tentative $13.5 billion settlement resolving major claims related to the 2017–2018 Northern California wildfires and other fires. The deal remains subject to court approval and conditions related to PG&E's Chapter 11 reorganization.
2019
PG&E faces backlash over California power shutoffs
PG&E faced criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and complaints from customers over its power shutoffs, which affected millions of people. Customers cited the inconvenience, and Newsom criticized the company’s preparedness and management.
2018
Camp Fire and related wildfire responsibility
California investigators determined that PG&E equipment was primarily responsible for the Camp Fire and other fires, leading to criminal, civil, regulatory, and financial consequences.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Wildfire mitigation and safety modernization
California
Following major wildfire events and bankruptcy proceedings, PG&E expanded public-facing and operational efforts around vegetation management, infrastructure inspections, grid hardening, emergency preparedness, and wildfire-risk reduction.
Outcome. Ongoing safety and reliability program.
- 2019Wildfire claims and reorganization program
California
The company’s bankruptcy restructuring included arrangements intended to compensate wildfire victims and allow the regulated utility to continue serving customers.
Outcome. PG&E exited bankruptcy in 2020.
Brand decisions
2020
Prioritize wildfire mitigation and system resilienceStrategyBackground
Repeated catastrophic fires increased regulatory, legal, and public pressure to improve the safety of California’s electric grid.
Action taken
PG&E expanded inspection, vegetation-management, grid-hardening, monitoring, and emergency-shutoff programs.
Aftermath
Wildfire prevention and reliability became central elements of the company’s operating strategy.
2019
Seek Chapter 11 protectionOtherBackground
Wildfire claims and potential liabilities placed substantial pressure on the company’s finances under California’s utility wildfire-liability rules.
Action taken
PG&E filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and pursued a court-supervised restructuring plan.
Aftermath
The plan addressed wildfire claims and enabled the company to emerge from bankruptcy in 2020.
Recent events
PG&E fined $22 million over Mosquito Fire in settlement[3]
Reported:
The California Public Utilities Commission approved a $22 million penalty against Pacific Gas & Electric as part of a settlement over the 2022 Mosquito Fire in Placer County, which destroyed 78 structures and burned nearly 77,000 acres. The CPUC found violations in PG&E's design, construction, and maintenance of electrical lines, while PG&E denied fault and negligence in the settlement.
California utility commission fines PG&E over 2019 power shutoffs[8]
Reported:
California's Public Utilities Commission announced a $106 million fine against Pacific Gas & Electric Company for violating guidelines during planned power shutoffs in fall 2019. The commission said $86 million was offset by customer bill credits already provided, leaving $20 million for PG&E to pay; the decision would become final unless appealed within 30 days.
PG&E settles San Francisco gas-plant pollution lawsuit[9]
Reported:
PG&E entered a settlement in a lawsuit over pollution from its former manufactured gas plants in San Francisco. The deal requires PG&E to fund a contamination study, notify parties of potential contamination before covered excavation projects, and pay for specified soil testing, removal and replacement costs for five years.
PG&E sentenced and fined over fatal 2018 wildfire[7]
Reported:
A Butte County Superior Court judge imposed a $4 million fine on Pacific Gas & Electric for the deaths of 84 people in a 2018 wildfire. The company had reached a plea agreement three months earlier to resolve manslaughter and other charges. PG&E expressed regret and apologized for the loss of life and damage resulting from the fire.
PG&E fined over Camp Fire deaths[6]
Reported:
PG&E was fined $4 million in connection with the deaths of 84 people in the 2018 Camp Fire, which the article says was sparked by its electrical grid; the penalty followed a plea agreement reached three months earlier.
- Unconfirmed
PG&E fined $900,000 over pipeline violations linked to 2017 explosion[5]
Reported:
Pacific Gas & Electric was cited and fined $900,000 for pipeline violations that the report says ultimately caused a 2017 gas explosion in San Francisco. The California Public Utilities Commission investigation found the company had failed to properly abandon a service line, remove a plug and seal the line in 2003.
Court approves PG&E’s $23 billion financing package[12]
Reported:
A U.S. bankruptcy court approved PG&E’s plan to raise $23 billion to help pay bills connected to California wildfires and move toward emerging from bankruptcy.
Bankruptcy judge approves PG&E proposal and wildfire settlements[13]
A bankruptcy judge approved Pacific Gas & Electric's proposal, which included $24.5 billion in wildfire settlements, on Tuesday, December 17, 2019.
Weekdays and relative dates follow the original report; their exact calendar dates have not been verified.
PG&E reaches tentative wildfire claims settlement[10]
Reported:
PG&E announced that it had reached a tentative $13.5 billion settlement resolving major claims related to the 2017–2018 Northern California wildfires and other fires. The deal remains subject to court approval and conditions related to PG&E's Chapter 11 reorganization.
PG&E pledges to improve customer communications after power shutoffs[4]
Reported:
Pacific Gas & Electric pledged to improve communications with customers after its power shutoffs. CEO Bill Johnson identified customer communication as an area needing significant improvement in a letter to state regulators.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Sources16 sources
- 1Pacific Gas and Electric Companyen.wikipedia.org
- 2Official PG&E websitepge.com
- 3PG&E fined $22 million over Mosquito Fire in settlementkcra.com
- 4PG&E pledges to improve customer communications after power shutoffstoronto.citynews.ca
- 5PG&E fined $900,000 over pipeline violations linked to 2017 explosionktvu.com
- 6PG&E fined over Camp Fire deathsdailymail.com
- 7PG&E sentenced and fined over fatal 2018 wildfirewhdh.com
- 8California utility commission fines PG&E over 2019 power shutoffskcra.com
- 9PG&E settles San Francisco gas-plant pollution lawsuitcourthousenews.com
- 10PG&E reaches tentative wildfire claims settlementglobalnews.ca
- 11PG&E faces backlash over California power shutoffswmur.com
- 12法院批准PG&E的230亿美元融资方案nbcbayarea.com
- 13破产法官批准PG&E方案及野火和解安排carbon-pulse.com
- 14PG-E Fined $4 Million in Deaths of 84 People in 2018 Firedtnpf.com
- 15PG&E fined $4 million in deaths of 84 people in 2018 firesandiegouniontribune.com
- 16PG&E utility reaches $13.5 billion settlement with Northern California wildfire victimsdesertsun.com
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