Some San Diego County communities could face power shutoffs through Monday as the heat wave grips the region.
San Diego Gas and Electric said more than a dozen mostly rural communities, from Alpine to Fallbrook, could face a public safety shutoff until 6 p.m. on Monday. The list of communities and tribal areas will be continually updated on SDG&E’s website.
A public safety shutoff refers to turning off the electricity in strategic areas when weather conditions are dry and extremely windy to avoid the chance of downed power lines igniting a wildfire. As of 11:30 a.m. Friday, only about 18 customers had lost power under the directive in Descanso.
An expected weeklong heat wave started Friday morning, with temperatures in the 90s near the coast and above 100 across inland valleys and foothills. The National Weather Service said the threat of wildfire is significant because the region has received little rain since June.
For now, San Diegans were not being asked to conserve power, said the California Independent System Operator, or CAISO. It has yet to issue a Flex Alert, a request for consumers across the state to voluntarily conserve electricity whenever there is a predicted shortage.
The system operator manages the high-voltage and long-distance transmission system for about 80% of the state and a small part of Nevada. It provides live grid updates on its website.
As of about 11:30 a.m. Friday, there was 66,171 megawatts of grid capacity to handle 40,756 megawatts of forecasted peak this afternoon around 6 p.m. For context, the last time the state issued widespread Flex Alerts was during a heat wave in September 2022 when electricity demand hit a record 52,061 megawatts.
CAISO has issued “restricted maintenance operations” directives calling on utilities and other entities that participate in energy markets in Southern California to postpone routine equipment maintenance and keep all their grid assets online. The orders do not apply to the general public.
The extreme heat warning from the National Weather Service is in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday. The initial part of the hot spell will be produced by a combination of high pressure and mild Santa Ana winds that will peak on Saturday, the service said.