PG&E Proactively Shuts Off Power for Safety to About 600 Customers in Kern County

FINAL UPDATE: 8 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 15

After receiving weather all-clears for all de-energized areas today (Jan. 15), PG&E crews were able to complete patrols and inspections and have safely restored power to all 587 customers affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that began on Sunday night (Jan. 12).

UPDATE: 3 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 15

Today (Jan 15), PG&E issued a weather all-clear for areas impacted by the PSPS event that began on Sunday (Jan. 12) in Kern County. The weather all-clear allows crews to begin patrols, inspect electrical equipment for damage and make any necessary repairs before safely restoring power to customers.

PG&E began proactively shutting off power for safety to approximately 600 customers in Kern County as part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) around 11:30 p.m. Sunday.

PG&E operations professionals shut off power on several sections of powerlines in Kern County because of a forecasted dry and gusty wind event that entered southern parts of our service area Monday and exited this afternoon.

Given the forecasted dry and gusty winds and current dry vegetation conditions, PG&E sent advanced notifications to customers — via text, email, and automated phone call — in targeted areas where power could be proactively shut off for safety to reduce wildfire risk.

In some areas Monday evening, wind gusts reached 58 mph.

Restoration Steps: 

• Weather “All-Clear”: After high winds have passed, and it is safe to do so, a weather “all-clear” is issued for our crews to begin patrols and inspect electrical equipment. 
• Patrol and Inspect: Our crews visually inspect for potential weather-related damage to powerlines, poles and towers. This is done by vehicle, foot and air. 
• Isolate and Repair Damage: If crews find equipment damage, they work to isolate the damaged area from the rest of the system. Other parts of the system can then be restored. 
• Restore Power: Once the poles, towers and lines are safe to energize, our Control Center restores power to affected areas. 
• Notify Customers: We notify customers that power has been restored.

To learn more, visit www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

UPDATE: 3 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 14

When 588 customers in Kern County were de-energized for safety late Sunday due to severe wind conditions, a partnership unique to PG&E activated to provide continuous “ground truthing” — information that is known to be real or true, provided by direct observation and measurement — to Electric Operations leaders and meteorologists.

Safety and Infrastructure Protection Teams (SIPT) deployed into the PSPS areas, near Lebec south of Bakersfield and the Buellton area to the west. The teams patrol the circuits for fire hazards, observe fuel conditions and report on factors that weather stations couldn’t capture, such as conductor movement, trees or tree limbs near conductors, and flying debris.

“That support is invaluable. It gives us that real-time ground truth on how the winds impact not only our equipment, but the surrounding environment,” said Neil Flaiz, a senior meteorologist for PG&E.

Steve Spinharney, a SIPT program support manager, said the PSPS observations have evolved since 2019, when the SIPT program began.

“At that time, we had far fewer weather stations monitoring the system, so we needed many more SIPT crews on each event. The addition of more weather stations — nearly 1,600 currently in the service area — and an increased demand to support Electrical Operations at the Storm room/OEC level has changed how we work during times of severe weather or wildfire threat," Spinharney said. "We still deploy teams to PSPS areas, but in much smaller numbers than in the past. The collaboration between our SIPT Program, Meteorology and the Operations Section helps restore customers in a more safe, effective, and efficient manner."

Rusty Vance, a Transmission inspection director who serves as Operations Lead during many PSPS events, said the SIPT crews also help identify damage and hazards found during their patrol work.

“It provides us with another set of eyes, and more intelligence on what is happening to our system during powerful wind events. They can tell us if they see a branch or other debris in our lines. We still patrol the lines thoroughly after events, but their real-time information during the events adds valuable insight,” Vance said.

Customers will remain without power until conditions become safe to restore energy.

UPDATE: 12 a.m., Monday, Jan. 13

PG&E began proactively shutting off power for safety to approximately 600 customers in Kern County as part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) around 11 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 12).

As dry and gusty wind entered the southern parts of our service area earlier than forecasted, PG&E operations professionals shut off power to several sections of powerlines in Kern County starting Sunday night. Gusty wind conditions are expected to persist in the impacted area until Wednesday afternoon.

Given the forecasted dry and gusty winds and current dry vegetation conditions, PG&E sent advanced notifications to customers — via text, email, and automated phone call — in targeted areas where power could be proactively shut off for safety to reduce wildfire risk. The duration and extent of power outages will depend on the weather in each area, and not all customers may be affected for the entire period.

The Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event will affect approximately 600 customers in Kern County.

To learn more, please visit www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

UPDATE: 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 12

PG&E operations and meteorology professionals continue to monitor a potential Santa Ana wind event across Southern California beginning Monday morning. 

Given the forecast and dry vegetation conditions, PG&E has notified approximately 600 customers in southern Kern County of a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event Monday morning through Wednesday afternoon.

We understand some impacted customers have experienced PSPS multiple times since the start of 2024.  Losing power is hard and we are expanding support for our most vulnerable and highly impacted customers. 

PG&E is planning to open a Customer Resource Center on Monday, January 13 at 8:00 a.m. at the Lebec Post Office at 2132 Lebec Road. The center will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. through the end of the event. 

Customers can look up their address and learn more at www.pge.com/pspsupdates. 

UPDATE: 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 11

PG&E operations and meteorology professionals are monitoring a potential dry and gusty wind event forecasted to enter southern parts of our service area Monday morning and exit Tuesday afternoon.  

Given the forecast and current dry vegetation conditions, PG&E has begun sending advanced notifications to customers—via text, email, and automated phone call—in targeted areas where power may need to be proactively shut off for safety to reduce wildfire risk. The duration and extent of power outages will depend on the weather in each area, and not all customers will be affected for the entire period.   

The potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event could affect approximately 600 customers in southern Kern County.  

• Kern County: 588 customers, 27 Medical Baseline customers  

PG&E initiates PSPS when the fire-weather forecast is severe enough that people’s safety, lives, homes and businesses may be in danger of wildfires. Our overarching goal is to stop catastrophic wildfires by proactively turning off power in targeted areas when extreme weather threatens our electric grid. We recognize that PSPS outages create hardships for our customers and communities. Our sole focus is to keep our customers safe.   

Customers can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.