PG&E Power Shutoffs

It’s Important to be Prepared

In 2019, PG&E established a new safety protocol to proactively shutoff power to their distribution and transmission lines in an effort to prevent their equipment from starting wildfires. These events are known as PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).

Because some distribution and transmission lines powering San José are located in wildfire prone areas outside of city limits, PG&E power shutoffs could impact everyone in San José. The power outages could last multiple days.

The City of San José and San José Clean Energy encourage residents and businesses to be aware of the potential for PG&E power shutoffs and follow PG&E steps to prepare for multi-day power outages.

Notification transparent

NOTIFICATIONS

Learn how to sign up to receive power shutoff notifications from PG&E or make sure your contact info is up-to-date:

Visit www.pge.com/psps or
Call PG&E at 1-866-743-6589

Checklist transparent

PLANNING

PG&E steps to prepare for a power outage include:

Creating an emergency plan
Making an emergency supply kit
Learning about generator safety

Get more guidance from PG&E

WILL THIS IMPACT ME?

Since everyone in San José is a PG&E customer for electric delivery, anyone could be impacted by a PG&E power shutoff if power is shut off in your area.

San José Clean Energy provides electric generation service only. PG&E provides electric delivery and owns, operates, and maintains all transmission and distribution infrastructure that delivers energy to homes and businesses, including San José Clean Energy customers.

If you have rooftop solar, your panels will probably NOT work during a power outage unless you have a special inverter or battery storage.

NOTIFICATIONS

Before a Shutoff

PG&E has indicated PSPS Watch notifications will be sent 48 hours and 24 hours before they shut off power if possible. PG&E has stated that it will attempt to send notifications via email, phone and text to the contact information it has for each customer. For more information about PG&E’s notifications and how to update your contact information, visit www.pge.com/psps or call PG&E at 1-866-743-6589.
PG&E will send PSPS Warning notifications when a PSPS has been officially decided, typically sent several hours before power is shut off.
As soon as City and County officials are made aware of PG&E’s shutoff plans, San José will make efforts to provide supplemental or secondary notifications via Nextdoor, Twitter, Facebook, and/or alert notifications to mobile devices and emails.
- If your landlord or property manager is the PG&E account holder for your address, they will receive notifications on your behalf. It’s a good idea to contact them to know how to reach you.

During a Shutoff

PG&E will send PSPS Update notifications and post updates online while power is shut off with any revised estimated restoration times.
As soon as City and County officials are made aware of PG&E shutoff status, affected areas, and information, San José will make efforts to provide supplemental or secondary notifications via Nextdoor, Twitter, Facebook, and/or alert notifications to mobile devices and emails. Visit SanJoseca.gov and follow @CityofSanJose on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

After a Shutoff

PG&E will send a PSPS Power Restored notification when power is restored to your home or business.

Address Alerts

Address Alerts can help you stay safe by informing you via call or text about an expected PSPS event at any address that’s important to you. Such addresses might include your child’s school, your parent’s home, or a mobile home park or a rental unit where your landlord pays the PG&E bill. These notifications are available in multiple languages. You do not have to have a PG&E account at the address to receive an alert.
Anyone can sign up to receive power shutoff notifications for particular addresses directly from PG&E online or by texting “ENROLL” TO 97633. PG&E will attempt to call or text you 48 hours, 24 hours and just before power is shutoff at the specified address.
NOTE: Account holders automatically receive PSPS alerts for their address(es).

HOW YOU CAN PREPARE

Emergency Plan and Kit

Create an emergency plan that accounts for all family members and pets, especially those with special medical or transportation needs, and practice it. For more information, see PG&E’s emergency plan recommendations. PG&E asks customers to consider the following:

Do you know how to open your garage door manually?
Do you have cash on hand and a full tank of gas, in the event ATMs and gas stations are unavailable?
Are your mobile phones fully charged and/or backup batteries available?

PG&E also recommends making an emergency supply kit that will last for multiple days and guidance on how to prepare for a power shutoff.

View a live 7-day weather forecast for potential power shutoffs on PG&E’s website.

Backup Power Sources

Unless you have battery storage and special inverter designed to “island” during a PG&E power shutoff, your rooftop solar system will not power your home. Inquire with your solar provider. Battery-powered inverter generators, also known as portable batteries, are an additional backup power option that is affordable and clean with no direct emissions from the battery. They typically have enough capacity to power a few small appliances for a short time. To learn about resources and backup power options to make your home more resilient, visit our Backup Power Options webpage.

If you have a generator, protect yourself and your family by viewing PG&E’s webpage about generator safety.

VULNERABLE POPULATIONS

If you are a PG&E Medical Baseline Allowance customer (dependent on electricity for your medical condition), PG&E has indicated that it will make the following effort to notify you of a shutoff before it occurs:

Outreach will be done through automated calls, texts and emails.
If PG&E doesn’t speak to you or a family member directly, or receive confirmation of the email or text they send, they will follow up with a phone call.
If a phone call is not successful, they will attempt to notify you in person at your address.

Visit PG&E’s Medical Baseline Allowance webpage to learn more about the program.

Apply for the Medical Baseline Program

Additional Resources

The Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) provides support to customers that rely on power to operate life-sustaining medical devices. During a PG&E power shutoff, SVILC provides free support in the following ways:

Help with Medical Baseline Allowance enrollment.
Disaster kits & training.
Portable battery rental program.
Emergency resources such as accessible transportation, lodging and food during a shutoff event.

To apply, please visit the SVILC online application or call (408) 894-9041. Please note that the coordination of resources does take time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a PG&E planned power shutoff, or Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event?

During PG&E’s power shutoff events, also known as Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events, PG&E can shut off power to their distribution and transmission lines (also known as de-energizing) to prevent their equipment from starting a wildfire. Power could remain off for multiple days.

In May 2019, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) gave PG&E full discretion in deciding whether to call a power shutoff, though PG&E is directed to work with the relevant local government agencies to communicate in advance about the possibility of de-energization and during a power shutoff. This means the City of San José or other government agencies are not able to stop a power shutoff from happening.

PG&E will use a number of factors determine whether to call a power shutoff event, including

Low humidity levels
Forecasted high winds
A Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service
Condition of dry material on the ground and vegetation near lines
On-the-ground, real-time observations

This year, PG&E’s decision-making process is evolving to also account for the presence of trees tall enough to strike power lines.

The CPUC has identified the areas surrounding San José as elevated fire-threat, with some parts as extreme fire-threat.

Could I be affected by PG&E planned power shutoffs?

Since everyone in San José is a PG&E customer for electric delivery, anyone could be impacted by a PG&E power shutoff if power is shut off in your area.

San José Clean Energy provides electric generation service only, while PG&E provides electric delivery and owns, operates and maintains all transmission and distribution infrastructure.

If PG&E shuts off power to one of its transmission lines, the South Bay could be affected. PG&E’s transmission and distribution lines pass through areas surrounding San José that the CPUC has identified as elevated fire-threat, with some parts as extreme fire-threat.

Can the City of San José or County of Santa Clara stop PG&E from planning a power shutoff?

No. In May 2019, the California Public Utilities Commission gave PG&E full discretion in deciding whether to call a power shutoff. This means the City of San José or other government agencies are not able to stop a power shutoff from happening.

Will I get advance notice of a PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff?

If possible, PG&E has indicated it will warn customers 48 and 24 hours in advance through emails, calls and text messages. It’s important to make sure your contact information with PG&E is up-to-date. Visit www.pge.com/psps to update it.

As soon it has PSPS information from PG&E, the City of San José will also inform residents and businesses through Nextdoor, Twitter, Facebook, and alert notifications to mobile devices and emails.

How do I know if PG&E has my contact information?

Call 1-866-743-6589 or visit www.pge.com/psps to update your contact information or create an online profile.

If your landlord or property manager is the PG&E account holder for your address, they will receive notifications on your behalf. We encourage you to contact them to confirm they know how to reach you. Or, non-account holders can sign up to receive Zip code alerts directly from PG&E by calling 1-877-9000-PGE or texting “ENROLL” to 97633. These notifications are not address-specific as they are only based on the ZIP code provided. More information the tool is available at pge.com/pspszipcodealerts.

How long will PG&E power shutoffs last?

PG&E estimates power shutoffs could last several hours up to multiple days, depending on heat, humidity, and wind. If PG&E shuts off power to one of its transmission lines, the outage could last longer and a larger part of the South Bay could be affected.

How often will PG&E power shutoffs occur?

PG&E anticipates that power shutoffs could occur several times per year in its service area, but it is impossible to predict with certainty when and where they will occur.

How can I prepare for a PG&E power shutoff?

From PG&E’s website www.pge.com/psps:
First, make sure your contact information with PG&E is up-to-date so you can get advance notice (if possible) of a power shutoff. Visit www.pge.com/psps to update it.

Second, create an emergency plan that accounts for all family member needs for a multi-day power shutoff, including:

Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard copies of emergency numbers
Plan for any medical needs like medications that need to be refrigerated or devices that require power
Know how to manually open your garage door
Ensure any backup generators are ready to safely operate

When are PG&E power shutoffs most likely to happen?

Ultimately, PG&E has full discretion to evaluate real-time and on the ground information to determine whether to call a power shutoff. PG&E said these factors can include: red flag warnings (weather events which may result in extreme fire behavior), low humidity levels (generally 20% and below), forecasted sustained winds above 25 mph, wind gusts in excess of approximately 45 mph, and condition of dry fuel, and on-the-ground, real-time observations from PG&E’s Wildfire Safety Operations Center and PG&E crews.

I’m a Medical Baseline customer and depend on electricity for my medical condition. Will my power be turned off? What should I do during a PG&E power shutoff?

If PG&E shuts off a powerline, all customers who receive power from that line would be affected.

PG&E’s website says it will notify Medical Baseline customers based on their preferred contact method before a power shutoff. PG&E said if it doesn’t speak to you or a family member directly, or receive confirmation of the email or text they send, they will follow up with a phone call. If a phone call is not successful, PG&E says it will make every effort to attempt to notify you in person at your address.

On its website (www.pge.com/psps), PG&E asks all customers, including Medical Baseline customers, to develop an emergency plan.

What resources are available to me during a PG&E power shutoff?

PG&E has indicated it may open customer resource centers during a power shutoff to provide information, water, and charging for small devices. PG&E has indicated it will not be a shelter or cooling center.

During a PG&E power shutoff, PG&E has indicated it will publish customer resource center locations on pge.com/pspsupdates and their social media channels, local news, and radio.

If social distancing measure remain in place due to COVID-19, PG&E indicated it will incorporate alternative solutions like mobile, pop-up or reconfigured customer resource centers.

I have solar. Will I be impacted by a PG&E power shutoff?

Your solar system will probably NOT be producing electricity during a power shutoff, unless you have a special inverter or battery storage. This is because utility rules mandate that in the event of a power outage, solar arrays must automatically shut down to ensure repair crew safety. During an outage, the power utility sends out crews to repair powerlines; a solar array would leak power onto grid lines and endanger them.

Why could a PG&E power shutoff last for multiple days?

On its website, PG&E details the process for restoration of power:

PG&E will call a power shutoff in response to extreme weather, which could last several hours or days.
Once the extreme weather has passed, PG&E crews will work to visually inspect the impacted powerlines during daylight hours to ensure they are free from damage and safe to energize. If necessary, PG&E crews will also make repairs. PG&E says it aims to complete inspection and repairs within 12 hours after extreme weather has passed.

Why could urban areas see their power turned off during a PG&E power shutoff?

PG&E’s April 2019 Wildfire Mitigation Plan notes that shutting off high voltage transmission lines could result in a cascading effect that causes other transmission and distribution lines – potentially far from the original fire-risk areas – to also be shut off. This is due to the interconnected nature of the power grid. The Plan notes that power could be shut off to urban areas like San Francisco if multiple East Bay transmission lines were to be shut off due to extreme weather conditions.

Will the City continue to provide services like Police and Fire during a PG&E power shutoff?

Yes, the City will continue to provide services like Police and Fire. Many of these facilities have backup power sources. Please call 911 only for emergencies, not to get information.

What should I do during a PG&E power shutoff?

During a PG&E power shutoff, affected residents will be asked to shelter in place, unless they can’t (e.g., they need to seek electricity to power their medical devices, they need to receive care, etc.).

Traffic signals and streetlights affected by a PG&E power shutoff will not work, potentially leading to congestion or hazardous conditions. Please follow these safety tips:

Once the power is out, limit your driving as much as possible.
Approach intersections with caution.
Treat non-working traffic signals like stop signs.
Avoid driving at night if possible.
If you must drive at night, use your headlights, stay alert, and be on the lookout for people walking and biking. There will be no streetlights to illuminate them.
If you must walk or bike after dark, use a headlight or flashlight. Wear bright or reflective clothing. Wear a helmet if biking.
Obey all road closures and detours.

Should I use tap water during a PG&E power shutoff?

Some utilities and services may not work during a PG&E power shutoff, including drinking water treatment and water pumping. Please check with your drinking water provider. In case these do not function, please prepare by storing enough water to last a multi-day PG&E power shutoff: one gallon per day per person and pet in your household.

Will my cell phone or landline work during a PG&E power shutoff?

Cell phones: Cell phone towers usually have battery backup and/or generators, and thus will function for two to five days. You may have service for as long as you have battery power on your phone. It is advised to buy an external battery or a charger powered by a solar panel or hand crank to stay connected during a PG&E power shutoff.
Landlines: There are two kinds of landline services: rotary phones Voice over IP (VoIP). Rotary phones will not have power issues, while VoIP will not work as they depend on internet modems, which will go out during a power outage.

The network for both cell phones and landlines may be clogged from call volume.

PG&E Power Shutoffs

It’s Important to be Prepared

NOTIFICATIONS

PLANNING

WILL THIS IMPACT ME?

NOTIFICATIONS

Before a Shutoff

During a Shutoff

After a Shutoff

Address Alerts

HOW YOU CAN PREPARE

Emergency Plan and Kit

Backup Power Sources

VULNERABLE POPULATIONS

Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Sign up for Email Updates