Over the past several weeks, a number of Lafayette (and Moraga) residents and businesses have been impacted by multiple, unplanned power outages.
The City reached out to PG&E urging them to inform impacted residents about the cause of these outages and how and when PG&E will resolve the issue. PG&E has informed the City that they are working to address the problem. Late this afternoon (August 8), PG&E provided this update on the steps they are taking:
The electric system is complex and multiple factors may have contributed to these outages. We are inspecting and evaluating portions of the underground system to identify the cause of the recent outages. This underground equipment is connected to above ground powerlines that are protected by Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS). One of the key features of EPSS is to automatically turn off power within one-tenth of a second if there is a hazard, like an equipment failure or a tree branch striking a powerline. Quickly turning off power when there is trouble helps prevent ignitions that can start a wildfire. We are thoroughly analyzing our underground equipment to help identify and fix any issues.
Separately, we have completed work that should immediately improve reliability in your neighborhood – without sacrificing safety. This includes:
- Temporarily transferring some customers to different circuits.
- Adjusting safety settings to minimize outages without sacrificing safety.
- Adding fault indicators to quickly identify power outage locations.
- Completing additional vegetation patrols to help prevent hazards.
We have more reliability work planned. This includes installing a device to limit the number of customers impacted by each outage and temporarily transferring additional customers to a different circuit. We will also share additional updates during an upcoming in-person community event where you will have an opportunity to ask questions and share feedback with the local PG&E team.
Read PG&E’s full message on Next Door: https://nextdoor.com/p/3wFbQKkwTLtD
Next Steps
PG&E has committed to contacting impacted customers via email in the coming days regarding the situation and their efforts, as well as actions they are taking to identify and resolve the issue of the outages.
The City will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed. We will provide updates on our “Hot Topics” webpage at www.lovelafayette.org/hottopics so check back in a few days for more information. We have also asked PG&E to attend the August 28 City Council meeting to provide an update.
PG&E Information (from PG&E’s web site)
Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) webpage: www.pge.com/epss
Read the EPSS Fact sheet
See a map of EPSS-capable Circuits in Contra Costa County
View PG&E’s outage map to view or report a current electric outage: pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outagecenter
Contact Numbers
- PG&E Power Outage Information Center: 1-800-743-5002
- PGE General Customer Service Line: 1-800-743-5000
- PG&E Residential Customer Service Center:
Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
English or Español: 1-877-660-6789
中文: 1-800-893-9555
Tiếng Việt: 1-800-298-8438
TTD/TTY: 7-1-1 (California Relay Service)
