UPDATE (5:29 p.m.) - PG&E released the following statement regarding this week's power outages:
"We recognize the recent outages have been challenging for Cuesta College, and the surrounding community. The October 28 and 29 outages were caused by equipment issues that triggered our Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS), which shut off power within one-tenth of a second when detecting potential wildfire hazards. Wildfire risk in San Luis Obispo County is decreasing, reducing the need for safety settings and making outages less likely this winter. Today’s outage was due to third-party customer equipment interfering with our system. We’re working with that customer and continuing efforts to improve reliability while prioritizing safety."
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UPDATE (12:25 p.m.) - PG&E reports that power has been restored for all 292 customers impacted by Thursday morning's outage.
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UPDATE (12:10 p.m.) - A PG&E representative told KSBY that Thursday's outage is associated with its Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS), which reportedly turn off power within one-tenth of a second when a potential fire hazard comes in contact with PG&E lines.
PG&E says its crews are currently patrolling the circuit to identify the issue and restore power safely.
The previous two outages in the area were also linked to EPSS settings, according to PG&E.
The company says EPSS settings have been re-enabled due to the dry and hot conditions in San Luis Obispo County this week.
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(11:43 a.m.) - Nearly 300 PG&E customers in San Luis Obispo are experiencing a power outage Thursday morning, including the Cuesta College campus and the Dairy Creek Golf Course.
The outage was reported to PG&E at 10:46 a.m.
According to the company, 292 customers near Highway 1 are being impacted.
Cuesta College issued an alert on its website Thursday morning, announcing that its San Luis Obispo campus was experiencing a power outage.
PG&E estimates that power will be restored by 6:15 p.m.
On Wednesday morning, PG&E reported a power outage that was also affecting 292 customers in the same area.
Classes at the Cuesta College San Luis Obispo campus were canceled Wednesday afternoon as a result of the outage, which PG&E initially reported would not be resolved until 7:30 p.m.
Power was restored in the area by around 5 p.m. Wednesday night, according to the company.
An outage was also reported on Tuesday.
KSBY reached out to PG&E about Thursday's outage and whether it was related to the previous outages, but has not heard back yet.
