IMPORTANT

PG&E Has Initiated a Public Safety Power Shutoff to About 600 Customers in Kern County

Date: January 21, 2025
Public Safety Power Shutoff

FINAL UPDATE: 3 p.m., Tuesday,  Jan. 21 

 

After receiving weather all-clears for all de-energized areas today (Jan. 21), PG&E crews completed patrols and inspections of powerlines and have safely restored power to all 589 customers affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that began on Monday afternoon (Jan. 20).

 

UPDATE: 1 p.m., Monday, Jan. 20

 

PG&E began proactively shutting off power for safety to about 600 customers in Kern County as part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) around 1 p.m. on Monday (Jan. 20).

 

An offshore wind event entered the southern parts of our service area this morning. Gusty wind conditions in higher elevations are expected to continue in the impacted areas through Tuesday afternoon.

 

PG&E began sending advanced notifications to impacted customers on Saturday (Jan. 18). 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.

 

As of 8 a.m. this morning, PG&E has opened a Community Resource Center to support customers. Located at the Lebec Post Office (2132 Lebec Road), this outdoor center is tented and heated. Customers can stop by to use Wi-Fi and a restroom. Bottled water, device charging, snacks and other items will be available. The center will stay open until 10 p.m.

 

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

 

UPDATE: 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18

 

PG&E operations and meteorology professionals are monitoring a potential offshore wind event forecasted to enter southern parts of its service area Monday morning and exit Tuesday afternoon. Dry winds with up to 50 mph gusts are expected in southern Kern Country. 

 

Given the forecast and current dry vegetation conditions, PG&E has begun sending advanced notifications to customers 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.   

 

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

  • Kern County: 589 customers, 26 Medical Baseline customers  

 

Support for impacted customers 

 

We understand some impacted customers experienced PSPS last week as well as multiple times since the start of 2024. We recognize that PSPS outages create hardships for our customers and communities. Our sole focus is to keep our customers safe. 

 

PG&E is planning to open a Community Resource Center at the Lebec Post Office (2132 Lebec Road) that will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. starting Jan. 20 through the end of the event. 

 

For this potential PSPS event, PG&E will have an enclosed tent with heat and bags of ice for food preservation to better support customers’ needs.

 

More Information on PSPS 

 

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. 

 

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.