Pacific Gas and Electric Company unveiled its new, state-of-the-art, $40 million electric distribution control center in Concord, California. The center marks another significant milestone in its ongoing efforts to provide its customers with safe, reliable, affordable and clean energy.

The facility is the second of three new control centers – other locations are in Fresno and Rocklin – that will manage PG&E's more than the 140,000 miles of electric distribution lines that serve nearly 16 million Californians. The new, 38,000-square-foot, operations center will enhance electric reliability and resiliency for PG&E customers throughout the Bay Area and Central Coast by utilizing current and future Smart Grid technologies.

Geisha Williams, President, PG&E Electric Operations said “Our investment in the Concord center will strengthen resiliency of the grid, while enhancing electric reliability. Additionally, it increases the flexibility of our system, allowing for broader integration of clean, renewable energy."

The new control center has been equipped with systems that support today's current Smart Grid technology, but will also support future upgrades as well. A new Distribution Management System incorporates advanced electronic mapping and SmartMeter data to help operators pinpoint the exact location of an outage.

“The City of Concord is excited about this project. The Distribution Control Center is exactly the type of high-tech, cutting-edge facility Concord is encouraging for our community. This investment by PG&E helped create 250 construction jobs and other local, good paying jobs that will provide a strategic service to the delivery and reliability of our region,” said Mayor Tim Grayson.