34,000 PG&E customers in Berkeley will lose power on Monday

Update, 6:35 p.m. Power outages in Berkeley on Monday can last up to five hours and could reoccur Tuesday and Wednesday from 3 to 10 p.m., depending on the city.

Update, 5:53 p.m. Authorities in Berkeley just announced that 33,964 PG&E customers “will be included in the blackouts tonight.” PG&E has not indicated which areas will be affected. For more information, call PG&E at 800-743-5000. If you have a life-threatening emergency, dial 9-1-1. City staff sent out an alert with the new information around 5:50 pm, minutes after PG&E informed the city of these details.

Original story: Some areas of Berkeley could lose power on Monday “due to high energy demand across the state,” Berkeleyside learned.

Alameda County sent messages throughout the day about the possibility of outages, but none of them included specific information about Berkeley. Local residents have also received robocalls about what has been described as the possibility of “spinning blacks” in the area. Officials said reducing energy use could prevent blackouts during the current heatwave.

Just before 4:10 p.m., city staff sent Berkeley council members an email saying “part or parts” of Berkeley could lose power for one to two hours by 10 p.m. Monday. . City is trying to get more information from PG&E on where the blackouts will occur, how long they will last and whether basic medical customers – people who need electricity for their medical needs – will be affected said one person who received the email.

The county has asked local residents and businesses to save electricity from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday due to expected grid strain due to what has been described as a persistent heat wave and record.

“Due to increased power demands at the state level, PG&E and the state ISO [Independent System Operator] have issued a statewide flexible alert starting today through August 20. From 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., please save energy in your home, “Alameda County officials wrote in an AC alert message on Monday. “There is a strong possibility of power outages statewide. This means that there is a risk of loss of power in your area due to an overload of the electrical network. There is also the potential for local heat-related outages not associated with these continual power outages. Please be prepared for a possible loss of power in your home. “

More information is available online at http://www.flexalert.org.

Advice from authorities on energy conservation includes increasing the thermostat, using fans, covering windows, avoiding using the oven, keeping the refrigerator closed as much as possible, and limit laundry and dishes at the start of the day or after 10 p.m.

The city had not provided its email to Berkeleyside or shared any other information at the time of publication despite repeated requests. PG&E did not respond to a request for information.

Berkeleyside will share additional details if they become available.