PG&E’s Tower Coating Program

PG&E's Tower Coating Program proactively protects and maintains transmission towers throughout our service territory. We do this by coating towers with non-lead-based paint to protect them from corrosion.

We reviewed nearly 46,000 transmission towers across our service territory to determine the coating type. We identified roughly 6,000 towers with lead-based paint. We’re coating those towers with non-lead-based paint to make them safer and more environmentally responsible for our communities.

We’re also conducting any minor maintenance or coating work identified during routine inspections on other towers across the service territory.

This work involves trained crew members climbing and coating the tower with non-lead-based paint. Crews will use special equipment, hand-held tools and vacuums to complete this work.

Each tower typically takes three to five days to coat. Prior to coating the tower, vegetation on or near the tower may need to be trimmed or removed to safely conduct this work.

While work is underway, we’ll make sure that all proper safety measures are in place to protect the health of our customers, workers and the environment. Safety measures include:

• Cleaning and inspecting the work area and cloth tarps at the end of each day
• Removing peeling paint and using vacuums to immediately catch debris as it’s removed from the tower
• Placing tarps under and around the tower to capture any loose paint or debris
• Ensuring proper disposal of paint debris and plastic tarps

We’re committed to conducting this work in a safe and timely manner with no interruptions in service and minimal disruption to our customers. Based on our current plan, we anticipate completing the remaining towers in the next few years.

PG&E crews and contractors that have met safety standards required by PG&E.