PASO ROBLES — The City of Paso Robles was notified that rolling power outages are scheduled for tonight, Jun. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. in portions of downtown Paso Robles and other areas of the city.
An update was released stating that if local residents cut down the use of power, this may not happen.
The City of Paso Robles asks if residents are able to conserve by adjusting air conditioning safely and other power drains; please do so.
The power grid goes by blocks rather than streets. To look up your block by address, visit the Pacific Gas and Electric Company website.
The following blocks will be affected:
1K, 1L, 1M, 1N, 1O, 1P, 1Q, 1R, 1S, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E
What can residents do to help?
- Turn off all lights that are not necessary for safety or productivity.
- If possible, use natural lighting supplemented with task lighting.
- Turn off office equipment, computers, printers, and other electrical equipment that is not required for your productivity today.
- Turn off coffee makers in your communal kitchen when they are not in use.
- Unplug phone chargers if not in use as they could still be using energy.
- When outdoor temperatures begin to rise, consider closing the window coverings to help keep indoor temperatures cool.
- Encourage your local friends, family, and colleagues to do what they can to conserve energy today.
If the demand for electricity exceeds supply, CAISO may require PG&E and other electric providers across the state to shed load, meaning institute rolling outages. If this occurs, PG&E may be required to turn off power to preselected circuits for up to 2-hour time blocks.
Within San Luis Obispo County, the preselected circuits where a CAISO Load Shed could occur are along the Nacimiento Road corridor and in western Paso Robles. This outage would not begin before 8 p.m., if at all. After that, if load shed continued to be required, some of the circuits in eastern Paso Robles could be impacted. It is unlikely Load Shed will be required later into the evening, but it is a possibility up until 10 p.m.
These Load Sheds, or rotating outages, are not Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPSs), which are used to help prevent a wildfire. They are also not related to issues with PG&E equipment or our ability to deliver energy locally. They are due to a shortage of generation supply compared to customer load demand. The decision to conduct these outages will be made by CAISO, not PG&E.
PG&E strongly encourages customers to conserve energy, as noted above, and prepare for a potential outage. For information about whether or when a specific address may be captured in this potential event, visit pge.com/rotatingoutages.
