Pacific Gas and Electric Company
editThe San Francisco Gas and Electric Company and the California Gas and Electric Corporation merged to form the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) on October 10, 1905.[1] The consolidation provided the California Gas and Electric Corporation with access to the large San Francisco market and a base for further financing. The San Francisco Gas and Electric Company, in turn, was able to reinforce its electric system, which until then had been powered entirely by steam-operated generating plants, and could not compete with lower cost hydroelectric power.[2] After the merger was formally completed, engineers and management from both organizations formulated plans for coordinating and unifying the two gas and electric systems.[2] However, the two firms maintained separate corporate identities until 1911.[2]
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake
editPG&E was significantly affected by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.[1] The company's assorted central offices were damaged by the quake and destroyed by the subsequent fire. Its San Francisco Gas and Electric Company subsidiary in particular suffered significant infrastructure loss, as its distribution systems—miles of gas mains and electric wires—were dissevered. Only two gas and two electric plants, all located far from the city, survived the destruction.[3][4] These functioning facilities—including the new 4,000,000-foot crude oil gas works at Potrero Point—played critical roles in San Francisco's rebuilding efforts.[5][6] Many of PG&E's utility competitors ceased operation following the Great Earthquake. However, the company's substantial capital allowed it to survive, rebuild, and expand.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "150 Years of Energy: The History of PG&E Corporation". PG&E Website. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ a b c (Coleman 1952, p. 227-233)
- ^ "Little Light for Weeks to Come". The San Francisco Chronicle. 30 April 1906. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ (Coleman 1952, p. 235-236)
- ^ Jones, E.C. (1910). "The History of Gas-Lighting in San Francisco". The Technical Publishing Company. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ "The Story of the Restoration of the Gas Supply in San Francisco after the Fire". The San Francisco Museum. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ O'Donnell, Arthur J. (2003). Soul of the Grid: A Cultural Biography of the California Independent System Operator. iUniverse. ISBN 0595293484.