UPDATE: Power restored to essentially all customers impacted by rotating outages Saturday evening

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) As of around 8 p.m., PG&E says they have restored power to essentially all 220,000 impacted customers from Saturday night's rotating outages, which the company says were directed by the state's grid operator.

The company says these "rotating outages are a measure employed to relieve strain on the power grid during the statewide heatwave."

Portions of the Central Coast and Central Valley, including Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Joaquin Counties, were affected.

PG&E says they will keep an eye on the statewide heatwave and coordinate with CAISO throughout the weekend and into next week.

"Current weather forecasts from PG&E’s in-house meteorological team are calling for temperatures at or above today’s levels across most of PG&E’s service area," said the company in a press release.

PG&E says some customers are still out of power due to separate heat-related issues that were not related to the rotating outages.

PREVIOUS STORY: PG&E confirms with KION that portions of the Central Coast and Central Valley, including Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Joaquin Counties are being impacted by rotating power outages this evening.

PG&E says the state’s electric grid operator, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), has directed them to initiate rotating power outages Saturday night, expecting to impact 220,000 customers.

No customers should be impacted overnight. PG&E’s Emergency Operations Center is activated, according to the company. The team has already restored some customers who were part of the outages.

PG&E is not calling these rolling outages "Public Safety Power Shutoffs," in reference to the power shutoffs the utility company has done in the last year to prevent wildfires from sparking.

This comes during a statewide heatwave, and customers are encouraged to cut down on electricity use during through Wednesday night.

The company released this statement as to why these shutoffs are needed:

"These outages are being called because the state’s energy supply is not enough to adequately meet anticipated demand during the statewide heatwave. Other power utilities in the state are being directed to conduct similar rotating outages.

These outages are not Public Safety Power Shutoffs, which are called during specific high fire threat conditions, and they are not related to any issues with PG&E’s equipment or its ability to deliver energy locally.

'This is a statewide issue that we are working together with CAISO and many stakeholders to address. We know how important it is to have access to reliable power during these times, and we are doing everything we can to limit the impacts. Our team is working diligently to keep these rotating outages as short as possible, so that there is no further impact to the grid. We appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to restore power to everyone this evening. We urge all of our customers to take immediate steps to reduce their power usage,' said Michael Lewis, Interim President of PG&E."

Santa Cruz County officials say most of their jurisdiction is facing a "significant power outage" as of Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Officials say the blackout will last for about one hour.

The City of Monterey tweeted at around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday saying: "Monterey is affected by the @California_ISO outage which will last up to 2 hours. @PGE4Me was given 10 minutes notice and we were just notified. Please treat all dark traffic signals and flashing red as 4 way stop."

The outages come as a heat wave is hitting the Central Coast over the last couple days.

PG&E strongly encourages all customers to conserve energy through next Wednesday.

• Raise the thermostat: Cool homes and use air conditioners more during morning hours. Set the thermostat to 78 degrees when at home during the rest of the day, health permitting. Turn it up to 85 degrees or turn it off when not at home.
• Use a ceiling fan: Turn on a ceiling fan when using the air conditioner, which will allow the thermostat to be raised about 4 degrees to save on cooling costs with no reduction in comfort. Turn off fans and lights when you leave the room.
• Cover windows: Use shade coverings and awnings so the air conditioner won’t have to work as hard to cool the home.
• Avoid using the oven: Instead, cook on the stove, use a microwave or grill outside.
• Limit the opening of refrigerators, which are major users of electricity in most homes. The average refrigerator is opened 33 times a day.
• Clean clothes and dishes early: Use large energy-consuming appliances like washing machines and dishwashers earlier in the day or late at night after 10:00 pm.

PG&E Tips to Stay Safe and Cool

• Plan ahead: Check the weather forecast to prepare for hot days.
• Keep an emergency contact list: Keep a list of emergency phone numbers.
• Have a buddy system: Check in on elderly or people with access and function needs.
• Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water, even when you are not thirsty.
• Stay cool: Take a cool shower or bath and wear lightweight, loose, light-colored clothing.
• Stay safe: Stay out of direct sunlight and avoid alcoholic or caffeinated beverages.