San Francisco's Power Struggle: A City in the Dark

In San Francisco, a massive power outage left a large part of the city without electricity on a Saturday afternoon. The blackout started around 1:09 p. m. and quickly grew, affecting 130, 000 homes and businesses by 3 p. m. The good news is that by 11 p. m. that same day, power was back for about 95, 000 customers. The outage was not evenly spread. On Sunday, the Richmond District, a mostly residential area near Golden Gate Park and the Presidio, was still experiencing the brunt of the blackout. Almost 18, 000 customers were still without power by Sunday afternoon. What caused this massive outage? It's not entirely clear yet. However, a fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) substation played a role. The fire was severe, and fixing the damage will take time and careful work. PG&E has said they are committed to restoring power to all affected customers and urged everyone to stay safe.The outage was a big deal. It impacted roughly one-third of PG&E’s customers in the city. Restaurants and shops closed, and robotaxi Waymo cars stopped mid-ride, blocking intersections. The city's transit system also faced disruptions, with some Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Muni bus stations skipping stops. PG&E has assured that the power grid is now stable and doesn't expect more outages. They have crews on the scene and promise to share updates as they have them. In the meantime, they advised residents to keep refrigerator doors closed and unplug appliances to avoid overloaded circuits, which can be a fire hazard.