Relocating

Under pressure to make its natural gas operations more independent of its electric utility business, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) said it is relocating its newly defined gas operations group in a large office complex in the East San Francisco Bay suburb of San Ramon, CA. Most of a contingent of 800 employees will be moved to the Bishop Ranch business park by October this year, a PG&E spokesperson said. Teams of employees now spread around in separate locations in San Francisco, Fresno, Walnut Creek and Concord, CA, will be brought together for the first time, the spokesperson said. Bringing together engineers, emergency dispatchers, system operators and others, Executive Vice President Nick Stavropoulos, the head of gas operations for the utility, said the utility “expects big gains in communication, efficiency and team building.” A new PG&E gas control center will be located in the San Ramon facilities as of the second quarter next year, Stavropoulos said. Regulators have criticized PG&E’s alleged lack of coordination in its gas operations in the wake of the September 2010 San Bruno transmission pipeline rupture and explosion.