New PG&E customers may wait seven years for power capacity in Southern Humboldt

EUREKA, Calif. — New businesses in the Southern region of Humboldt County may be in jeopardy when it comes to receiving power.

That was the topic across multiple hours of discussion at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting. County officials said they were made aware of the situation nine weeks ago. PG&E will reportedly not be able to provide enough capacity to 76 future potential customers in Garberville, Fortuna, Rio Dell, and other areas that will not receive energy until 2026.

County officials say this will also affect the county's ability to establish a climate resilient community. They are also concerned about how much capacity is left in Humboldt if these needs are not being met. New businesses are not the only ones that would be affected.

Most cities in Southern Humboldt are asking for over 100% more capacity. The 76 applications are asking for 25 megawatts in total which could cover over 15,000 homes. PG&E says applications in the Bridgeville to Alderpoint area would cost about $300 million.