San Jose residents blast PG&E after transformer blows
San Jose residents blasted Pacific Gas & Electric for equipment failure that caused the utility to shut off their electricity during the hottest days of summer.
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USA, California, San Jose: After suffering all weekend without power, San Jose residents blasted Pacific Gas & Electric for equipment failure that caused the utility to shut off their electricity during the hottest days of summer.
Hundreds of residents finally regained power on 17 August after losing it for 44 hours as the heatwave scorched the Bay Area.
According to PG&E’s website, the outage was caused by a broken transformer. It shut down power to 340 people on 16 August. It was finally restored on 18 August around 4 p.m.
The residents fear their power could go out again, but this time after PG&E’s threat of rolling blackouts as high temperatures put strain on the state’s power grid.
Mayor Sam Liccardo blasted the utility company for being dishonest to its customers when it blamed the California Independent System Operator for ordering the power shutoffs. Instead his constituents, he said, experienced extended blackouts because of PG&E’s failing system.
“PG&E is not being upfront with our residents,” said Liccardo. “While, certainly, the heat is a contributing factor, the fundamental reason is the inadequate infrastructure that PG&E has failed to maintain and replace over many years.”
Source: CBS SF