FOLSOM — The California Independent System Operator (ISO) issued a statewide Flex Alert, a call for voluntary electricity conservation, beginning today and extending through Wednesday. The Flex Alerts are in effect from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day. A persistent, record-breaking heat wave in California and the western states is causing a strain on supplies, and consumers should be ...

MOUNTAIN AREAS — Two separate power outages knocked out electricity to more than 16,000 PG&E customers in eastern Madera County on Tuesday afternoon. The dual shutdowns happened just before 2 p.m. and reportedly impacted utility customers in the Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Oakhurst and Wawona areas. Shortly after 3 p.m., PG&E confirmed that power had been restored to 14,000 customers in the ...

OAKHURST — “We have a lot of people working in this area and really want to be involved in the community,” says Chriso Lee, director of operations for ArborWorks Inc., a tree care company that in just the past few years has become one of the area’s largest employers. Every day, the company sends dozens of crews out around the ...

MARIPOSA — PG&E will host the first in a planned series of public meetings to let area residents know more about the utility’s new ‘Public Safety Power Shutoff’ plan, which allows PG&E to shut off electric distribution and transmission power lines that pass through high fire-threat areas during periods of high winds, extreme low humidity or other potentially dangerous conditions. ...

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) meteorologists are forecasting that spring storms will impact its service area today and Thursday. PG&E meteorologists forecast a late spring storm moving into the service area beginning this afternoon, and they urge customers to take the necessary steps to be prepared and stay safe. Moderate to heavy rain is forecast to ...

FRESNO – As wildfire season approaches, residents need to be aware of and prepared for the possibility that their power will be shut off – sometimes for several days – as a safety precaution. California’s three largest energy companies have announced a coordinated wildfire safety and awareness campaign to prepare Californians for the threat of extreme weather and power outages ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Earlier today, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) reported that a power outage stretching from Mariposa to Bootjack and into part of Madera County was affecting approximately 2,611 customers. The outage occurred just after 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 9. Early reports indicated that power would be restored by 4:30 p.m. as crews were heading to the ...

NORTH FORK — PG&E’s bankruptcy has stalled construction of a new biomass plant, a key component in a plan to boost the local economy. “Right now, we’re in a holding pattern,” said North Fork Community Development Council (CDC) President Dan Rosenberg. Rosenberg has been working on the project for seven years. “I used to tell people we’d be operational by ...

FRESNO — Over the next few days, residents of Madera, Mariposa and Fresno counties may see helicopters overhead as Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) contract crews work to conduct accelerated wildfire safety inspections of substations. “The helicopter inspections will complement and further enhance visual inspections by gathering information from the substations by capturing LiDAR data and photographs to determine ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is reporting that a power outage stretching from Bass Lake to Ahwahnee and up to Wawona had initially affected more than 3,500 customers. PG&E said that nearly 2,000 customers were without power well into the evening. By about 9 p.m., fewer than 1,000 customers were still awaiting restoration of service. By ...