Latest news with #PSPS
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
PG&E power shutoffs likely for parts of Northern California Thursday through Sunday
Elevated wildfire concerns have prompted PG&E to issue a likely Public Safety Power Shutoff warning for parts of Northern and Central California into the weekend. The possible shutoffs are expected to start Thursday as significant wind gusts forecasted to hit the region. PG&E's website lists that shutoffs are likely to happen from Thursday through Sunday. Which counties could be impacted by the PSPS? Parts of the following counties are listed under the likely shutoff warning, according to PG&E: Alameda Contra Costa Fresno Merced Monterey Napa San Benito San Joaquin San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Santa Clara Shasta Sonoma Stanislaus Wind gusts are expected to be up to 60 mph in the Eastern Bay Area, and around 45 mph in the northwest Sacramento Valley and Salinas Valley foothills.
Los Angeles Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
SCE's Commitment to Helping Rebuild Los Angeles
For nearly 140 years, Southern California Edison has been part of the communities we serve across Greater Los Angeles. The heartbreaking losses suffered in the January 2025 wildfires were deeply personal to every team member at Edison International and SCE, and our thoughts remain with all who were impacted. When the wildfires ignited across Southern California on Jan. 7, our teams sprang into action to support emergency response efforts, with safety as our number one priority. Within days, over 3,500 SCE crew members, contractors and mutual assistance personnel were on the ground working to restore power. Crews worked tirelessly for weeks and restored power to all customers who could safely take service by Feb. 21. While much of the restoration work is now complete, the road forward to rebuild, and to rebuild stronger than ever, is just beginning. As we move forward with rebuilding, we remain fully committed to supporting a thorough, transparent investigation of the cause of the Eaton Fire. While the cause remains unknown at this time, we take seriously the possibility that SCE's equipment was involved in the ignition. We are working closely with authorities to better understand the events that led to this tragedy and will share details throughout the investigation. Our customers deserve transparency. Following the wildfires, team members immediately started working on a clear plan to build back stronger. Building back stronger means hearing directly from communities about what matters most. Since January, over 50 listening sessions have been held to hear from community members, with input from customers, elected officials, local businesses and clergy members to better understand their experiences, perspectives and concerns. This input has been instrumental in shaping SCE's rebuilding plan. In April, we submitted initial rebuilding plans in a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom, outlining work underway and initiatives being explored to support the rebuild of impacted electrical distribution equipment in the Altadena and Malibu areas. Much of the rebuilding work is already underway, including undergrounding hundreds of miles of distribution power lines and integrating advanced technologies. This work will make Altadena and Malibu more resilient and secure, while being powered by clean and affordable energy. Undergrounding distribution power lines has important safety, reliability and resiliency benefits including reducing the risk of wildfire. Importantly, placing these power lines underground reduces the need for Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), which lessens the impacts and frustrations for customers during extreme weather and high fire risk conditions. Typically, projects to underground lines can take years to complete because of lengthy permitting, planning and construction processes. In the burn scar areas, projects are being expedited, and some lines will be finished in months, thanks to cooperation among city, county and other agencies. In Altadena and neighboring SCE-served areas, more than 40 circuit miles of power lines will be moved underground in high fire risk areas (HFRA). Two circuit miles are already under construction, with completion expected in the coming months. In Malibu and neighboring SCE-served areas within and near the Palisades Fire burn scar, more than 90 circuit miles will be undergrounded. This includes nearly all distribution circuits in the current HFRA boundary, most of which was already targeted for undergrounding as part of our Wildfire Mitigation Plan. Sixteen circuit miles are underway, with completion expected this year. Power lines that are not being placed underground are being hardened with coated wire, called covered conductor, which further reduces the risk of wildfire ignitions when trees and debris contact the line. Across SCE's service area, more than 6,500 miles of power lines have already been upgraded with this coated wire. Consistent with our grid hardening plans throughout the service area, we are designing underground systems with more automated switching and technology to detect faults and improve the ability to locate issues, reduce disruptions to as few customers as possible and restore service faster. These upgrades should reduce the frequency and duration of any customer outages. Importantly, the new infrastructure will have increased capacity to accommodate future electrical demand in these communities. Our rebuilding plans also represent an important opportunity to increase community resiliency. We are exploring ways to create designated community resiliency zones for extended emergencies, using battery storage at facilities like schools. Battery backups are also being provided for critical care customers who require electric service for life-sustaining equipment, and as customers rebuild, our team will work with builders to install electric vehicle chargers and other clean energy technology like heat pumps. We have ambitious goals for rebuilding and will hold ourselves accountable to achieving them. We live and work in these communities, and we take seriously the responsibility to build back the power system stronger and more resilient than ever. And when we experience the next extreme weather event, our communities will be more resilient and better prepared to safely power through. That's our commitment to you.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Avista enacts temporary change to power line operations for summer
Fire Safety mode increases power line sensitivity ahead of the 2025 wildfire season. SPOKANE, Wash., June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In response to dry summer conditions and increasing wildfire danger in the region, Avista is applying temporary changes to power line operations in its Washington and Idaho service areas. Avista has implemented this operational change, now called Fire Safety Mode, for over 20 years. A key part of Avista's wildfire strategy is its use of Fire Safety Mode, which adjusts how the system responds to faults during high-risk weather. Unlike normal operations, where lines may attempt to re-energize automatically, Fire Safety Mode keeps lines de-energized until crews confirm it is safe to restore power. While this may extend outage times, it significantly reduces the risk of ignition. 'Wildfire preparedness is not just a seasonal effort—it's a year-round responsibility,' said Heather Rosentrater, CEO of Avista. 'We've invested in infrastructure, technology, and operational practices that help us respond to changing conditions and protect the communities we serve. Our focus on safety is foundational to all we do.' Since launching its Wildfire Resiliency Plan in 2020, Avista has completed numerous grid-hardening projects in high-risk areas. These include replacing wooden transmission poles with steel, installing fire-retardant mesh at pole bases, and upgrading wooden crossarms to fiberglass. In certain areas, Avista will be converting its overhead power lines to underground service to further reduce the risk of wildfire. The company has also expanded vegetation management to reduce the risk of trees contacting power lines. In the most extreme conditions, Avista may implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), a targeted, temporary outage in areas facing severe wildfire risk. PSPS is a last-resort measure, used only when weather conditions such as high winds and low humidity create a heightened threat. Avista crews patrol affected lines before restoring power, and Community Resource Centers may be activated to support customers during extended outages. What customers can do: Make sure your information is up to date with Avista. Avista wants to be able to reach customers about potential outages. Visit to update account information or call customer service at (800) 227-9187. Let Avista know if there are medical devices that rely on electricity. Customer information will be added to a list of customers who receive extra notifications in case of an extended outage. Learn more at Be prepared for outages. Customers should keep emergency supplies together in one place, like flashlights and backup portable chargers. There should be a few days' supply of shelf-stable food and water for all people and pets in your home. Learn more at to create a to-do list in case of an outage. For more information about Avista's wildfire preparedness and PSPS plans, visit About Avista UtilitiesAvista Utilities is involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy. We provide energy services and electricity to 422,000 customers and natural gas to 383,000 customers in a service territory that covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.7 million. Avista Utilities is an operating division of Avista Corp. (NYSE: AVA). For more information, please visit Avista Corp. and the Avista Corp. logo are trademarks of Avista Corporation. To unsubscribe from Avista's news release distribution, send reply message to Contact:Media: David Vowels, 24/7 Media Access (509) 495-4174Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Black Hills Energy developing emergency shutoff program
(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Black Hills Energy (BHE) is developing a program to allow the utility to shut off power in high-wildfire risk areas during 'extreme conditions.' According to BHE, the utility is preparing to launch the 'Public Safety Power Shutoff' (PSPS) program by mid-summer 2025. BHE said the PSPS program involves 'selectively and proactively' shutting off power to high-risk fire areas during extreme weather conditions until those conditions improve, with the goal of preventing electric facilities from becoming a source of wildfire ignition. 'At Black Hills Energy, the safety of our customers, employees and communities is our highest priority,' said Campbell Hawkins, vice president of Colorado utilities. 'We believe that a Public Safety Power Shutoff program is a necessary and critical tool for wildfire prevention and mitigation, particularly for utilities with high fire risk areas.' BHE said if a power line is proactively de-energized during a shutoff, it will not be turned back on until conditions improve, and until crews have inspected power lines. This process may result in outages lasting a few hours or a few days. 'Peer utilities are currently implementing and executing similar programs,' Hawkins said. 'To determine if a Public Safety Power Shutoff is necessary, Black Hills Energy will leverage industry criteria that include a combination of wind gust speeds and low relative humidity.' According to Hawkins, BHE does not intend to trigger a shutoff based only on a Red Flag Warning being issued by the National Weather Service; however Red Flag Warnings do trigger other operational responses already in place, which are outlined in the company's Wildfire Mitigation Plan. BHE said it would communicate with customers before any shutoff occurs, and said the shutoff would only be used as a last resort. During and after a PSPS event, BHE said public notifications would occur through phone calls, emails, text messages, social media, media outlets and BHE's website. BHE reminds the community to have a backup plan in place for medicine that needs to be refrigerated or medical equipment that is powered by electricity. This could mean finding a place you can go during an outage or having a backup generator. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Waverley: 50 years of the paddle steamer bought for £1
Douglas McGowan thought it was a wind-up when he was offered the Waverley paddle steamer for £1. He was one of a group of young enthusiasts who enjoyed a jaunt out on a paddle steamer in the 70s. But they never thought they would actually own one. However that is exactly what happened back in 1973 and Scotland's beloved Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer, is still going strong. She is marking a special milestone of fifty years since the ship ran its first passenger sailings after being taken over as a heritage attraction. The steamer was first launched on the Clyde in 1946, intended for cruises up Loch Loch and Loch Goil - and she became a familiar sight for generations going "doon the watter" for their holidays. Now something of a national treasure, Waverley was triumphantly returned to service in 1975 by a very determined group two years after the very cheap purchase. "I thought it was a wind up at first," said Mr McGowan from the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS) on the offer from Caledonian MacBrayne. The company had briefly operated the ship before making the £1 offer to the society. Mr McGowan had to persuade his committee in London that it was a genuine offer and then, he said, "the fun and games started". They did not have a really clear idea of what to do with the ship as the offer had been totally unexpected. But an inspection of the hull showed that it was in decent condition and a public appeal raised £100,000 - a huge sum for the time. Fifty years on, the Waverley's 2025 sailing season is now underway. This year she will visit 74 ports and piers around the UK. "Waverley has witnessed so much change in her lifetime," said Paul Semple, general manager at Waverley Excursions. "The river area and the riverside has transformed, yet Waverley has remained". Like many involved with the ship, Mr Semple sailed on her as a child. He started work with her as a student summer job in the mid 90s and has never really left. He said keeping a heritage steam ship running was not easy. And over the years there have been challenges like repairs, maintenance, new boilers, incidents where she has gone into a pier and Covid. "Money is a challenge," Mr Semple said. "But also the people to work the ship to learn the skills of a paddle steamer to ensure that she's here for many years to come". On the first public sailing of the new season, there is a real air of excitement. One young boy is celebrating his birthday, and others have childhood memories. "As a kid it was magic," said Alistair Quinlan, who was born and brought up in Helensburgh. He remembers family and Sunday school trips on the Waverley. "The fact that the engines are open," he added. "Just the sound of it - it is a living playground for young children". Another passenger, Diane MacKinnon, explains that her husband was born very nearby. "He remembers when the river was full of ships like this and everything was really busy on the Clyde," she said. The enthusiasts who took over the Waverley more than 50 years ago said they could never have imagined it would be still going strong today. "The nice thing about Waverley is that she's not stuffed or mounted in a museum somewhere," said Douglas McGowan of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society. "She's alive and well and in very good condition". The enduring allure of The Waverley paddle steamer Moment The Waverley steams under London's Tower Bridge Waverley finally sets sail after two years
