Campus News
Planned PG&E power outage Sunday, September 7
To provide permanent power to the new Family Student Housing and child care center project at Hagar and Coolidge drives, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) must connect the site to UC Santa Cruz’s primary substation.
To provide permanent power to the new Family Student Housing and child care center project at Hagar and Coolidge drives, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) must connect the site to UC Santa Cruz’s primary substation. PG&E has recently informed the university that a 12-hour power shutdown is required to complete the work.
The work is scheduled to take place Sunday, September 7, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
During the outage, the Cogeneration Plant will remain online and installed generators will provide power backup for some, but not all, campus facilities.
The power outage will not impact Family Student Housing, Employee Housing, Ranch View Terrace, Arboretum, Westside Research Park, Coastal Science Campus, or Scotts Valley Center.
Preparing for the power outage
In advance of this planned utility shutdown, we encourage everyone to fully charge their electronic devices, including computers, tablets, cell phones, scanners, and backup chargers. Learn more about how to prepare for power outages.
Dining Services
College Nine/John R. Lewis College will be open for students already living on campus.
Transportation and Parking Services
Santa Cruz METRO buses will continue to run regular routes through campus and TAPS will continue to provide regular service.
In the event of a power outage affecting the Core West Parking Structure, its elevators will automatically return to the ground floor, where their doors will remain open. They will remain inoperable until power is restored.
Additionally, the planned outage may have an impact on campus EV chargers.
Researchers and labs with active projects
It is critical to review what equipment and resources you may need during the utility shutdown. Develop mitigation plans to either safely pause or continue activities during the shutdown. Researchers are encouraged to review the Utility Failure webpage and undertake action items as appropriate.
Campus network, telephones, WiFi, computer labs
Disruptions to the campus network, telephones, WiFi, and computer labs may occur. While campus generators will provide backup power to some areas, many IT services may be impacted by the outage. Please be prepared for potential interruptions. You may want to work/study from an alternative location or off campus. For the latest updates, visit the ITS Outage & Alerts web page.
For questions, please email Michael Fukutome, mmfukuto@ucsc.edu, or phone the Physical Plant Service Center Work Control Desk at 831-459-4444. We kindly ask that you do not request updates from the PG&E workers.
This message was sent to faculty and staff, and to students currently living on campus.