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A major Power Outage disrupted large sections of San Francisco on Saturday morning after a routine electrical operation at two Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) substations unexpectedly triggered a system failure.

The outage began at approximately 9:45 a.m., leaving about 9,400 customers without electricity across several neighborhoods while a separate notification error mistakenly warned nearly 120,000 customers that they had also lost power.

Although service was restored by late afternoon, the outage caused significant disruptions to businesses, traffic, public transportation and autonomous vehicle operations, while raising new questions about the accuracy of PG&E's outage notification system.

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Routine Maintenance Leads to Unexpected Blackout

According to PG&E, the outage occurred during a scheduled operational procedure involving two electrical substations in San Francisco.

During the maintenance operation, a protective device on the electrical system activated unexpectedly, interrupting power to customers primarily in the Richmond District, Golden Gate Park area, Presidio, Sea Cliff, Panhandle and Lands' End neighborhoods.

Utility officials emphasized that the incident was not a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), which is used during periods of elevated wildfire risk. Instead, the blackout resulted from a localized electrical fault that occurred while crews were performing routine system work.

PG&E said it will conduct a full investigation to determine why the protective equipment activated during the procedure.

Notification System Greatly Overstated Power Outage

Adding to the confusion, PG&E's outage reporting system mistakenly informed approximately 120,000 customers that they had lost power.

Company spokesman Edgar Hopida later explained that because two electrical circuits were involved, the reporting software incorrectly linked the outage to a much larger protective device within the electrical grid.

As a result, thousands of customers who still had electricity received outage notifications.

System operators corrected the reporting error within roughly 30 minutes, reducing the official outage count to approximately 9,400 affected customers.

While the notification glitch did not increase the size of the blackout itself, it generated widespread confusion across San Francisco as residents checked outage maps and contacted PG&E for updates.

Power Outage Impacted Businesses and Public Services 

The electrical outage affected far more than homes.

Numerous pharmacies, restaurants, grocery stores and retail businesses temporarily closed or operated with limited service. Some businesses accepted only cash because electronic payment systems were unavailable, while others relied on emergency lighting or candles until electricity returned.

Traffic signals also lost power at numerous intersections, creating congestion and forcing drivers to navigate four-way stops throughout several neighborhoods. City officials urged motorists to use caution while crews worked to restore electrical service.

The power outage also temporarily suspended Waymo's autonomous robotaxi operations in San Francisco. Because traffic signals were offline in portions of the city, the company paused service for approximately one hour until conditions stabilized.

Meanwhile, San Francisco firefighters responded to reports of high-voltage electrical arcing near Anza Street, where crews worked to secure the affected equipment and eliminate potential hazards.

Restoration Efforts Complete 

By approximately 12:15 p.m., PG&E had restored service to most affected customers, although roughly 2,500 remained without electricity as crews repaired equipment and rerouted power through alternate circuits.

Initially, the utility expected service to return by around 12:30 p.m., but that estimate was later extended to approximately 2:30 p.m. while repairs continued.

By approximately 4:20 p.m., electricity had been restored to all affected customers.

PG&E said crews remained on site to inspect equipment and determine exactly what caused the malfunction during the routine maintenance operation.

Questions Raised About Grid Reliability

Although Saturday's outage was relatively short-lived, it highlighted how even localized equipment failures can ripple through an urban electrical grid.

The incident also renewed scrutiny of PG&E's customer notification system after the erroneous alert suggested that more than ten times the actual number of customers had lost power.

Because PG&E serves as the state-regulated electric utility for much of Northern California, accurate outage reporting is especially important for residents, emergency responders and businesses that rely on real-time information to make operational decisions.

Officials encourage customers to monitor any future power outage through PG&E's online outage center and to report electrical hazards immediately if they encounter damaged equipment or downed power lines,

Relevant Links

• PG&E Outage Center
• PG&E Official Website
• San Francisco Department of Emergency Management