PG&E gives rare look inside Helms Powerhouse amid high electric bills

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. -- PG&E opened up the Helms Pumped Storage Powerhouse connected Friday, offering a uncommon look into however they make energy successful Eastern Fresno County.

"It genuinely is simply a renewable root of energy, and it plays a captious relation connected our grid," said PG&E Vice President of Power Generation Dave Gabbard.

Gabbard says it was an engineering marvel not lone successful 1984 but today.

The institution is present celebrating 40 years since the Helms cognition came online.

The installation pumps h2o betwixt the Courtright Reservoir supra and Wishon Lake below.

Officials accidental that a passageway headdress is holding the entirety of Courtright Reservoir back.

The Helms powerhouse tin pump the h2o successful some directions, utilizing the aforesaid h2o to make energy implicit and implicit again.

We were determination arsenic a monolithic hydraulic pump sent h2o from Wishon Lake backmost to the Courtright reservoir.

The generator weighs much than a cardinal pounds and spins astatine astir 360 RPM.

The down the scenes look comes arsenic PG&E faces disapproval from Central Valley customers.

Electricity bills costing hundreds of dollars for galore customers this summer.

PG&E Chief Operating Officer Sumeet Singh tells Action News executives perceive customers' concerns.

"The customers privation to cognize that the executives astatine the institution are proceeding their concerns. Is that true?" Action News newsman Gabe Ferris asked Singh.

"That is perfectly true," Singh responded. "One of the things we really speech astir is keeping the customers astatine the heart. So, what does that mean? Keeping the customers astatine the bosom of each the decisions and actions that we take. That's wherever it stops and starts for us."

Singh says the energy institution is committed to its Fresno County workers and customers.

PG&E is preparing Helms for a six-month repair project.

"That's going to beryllium a sustained, clean, reliable, affordable plus for our Fresno residents and the grid for a agelong clip to come," Singh said.

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