Working literally attached to a high voltage wire, a Pacific Gas & Electric crew conducted a pretty public maintenance job on one of the company’s towers on Main Street in Morro Bay on Nov. 3. PG&E spokesman Blair Jones said they were taking the old tower out and replacing it.
A giant construction crane held the tower upright, while the men replaced cross members and supports, apparently one at a time. The close-up photo here gives a good sense of the size of the 500,000-volt (500kV) transmission lines — enough juice to turn someone into a French fry — that carry electricity from the Diablo Canyon, and (formerly) the Morro Bay power plant to the state power grid. Jones said the project was “Part of our work to ensure the safe and reliable delivery of electricity to our customers.” For local residents it was a wonder to see crews working so close to certain death on Main Street no less.
Photo by Neil Farrell
