Power outage strikes San Diego area

If they had a power supply less dependent on a widely connected system, there would not have been such a problem. Our current system makes us more vulnerable to terrorism, weather problems, equipment breakdowns.

The outage began Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011

http://www.kusi.com/story/15427599/power-outage-strikes-san-diego

Posted: Sep 09, 2011 1:24 PM EDT Updated: Sep 09, 2011 1:24 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A massive power outage that originated in Arizona knocked out power to 1.4 million San Diego Gas & Electric customers from Mexico to southern Orange County today, and some could be without electricity into tomorrow.

According to SDGE, the outage originated in Arizona and caused both of its major electrical connections to the region to trip off. In addition to knocking out power to much of San Diego County, the outage also affected people in Mexico, Baja California, the Coachella Valley in Riverside County and southern Orange County.

The California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid, issued a statement blaming the outage on the failure of a high-voltage power line between Arizona and Southern California, causing an outage for all SDG&E customers and affecting some other utilities.

"The outage was triggered after a 500-kilovolt (kV) high-voltage line from Arizona to California tripped out of service. The transmission outage cut the flow of imported power into the most southern portion of California, resulting in wide-spread outages in the region," according to Cal ISO.

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http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/San-Diego-Communities-Experience-Blackout-129493378.html

Power Returns to San Diego

By Eric S. Page and Sarah Grieco
| Saturday, Sep 10, 2011 | Updated 9:42 AM PDT

Source: San Diegans Still Reeling From Black Thursday | NBC San Diego

The massive blackout lasted 15 hours and plunged 1.4 million San Diego residents into darkness.

San Diego Gas & Electric announced Friday morning that all of its customers have power again after crews worked through the night to make emergency repairs following the accidental outage.

The San Diego Police Department said there were no major incidents over night, despite the blackout.

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