
Just minutes after PG&E tweeted that it initiated a rotating blackout impacting about 200,000 to 250,000 customers Saturday night at the order of the California Independent System Operator, officials with the ISO said they cancelled the Stage 3 Electrical Emergency.
PG&E said the outages were initiated and are impacting approximately 220,000 customers in portions of the Central Coast and Central Valley, including Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Joaquin counties.
Altogether, Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric turned off power to more than 410,000 homes and businesses for about an hour before the Stage 3 Emergency was lifted.
A Stage 3 Emergency prompts an order to utilities to begin shutting off power due to the statewide heatwave and increased electricity demand. Such an emergency is declared when demand outpaces available supply.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch that will last into next week.