Current Information

Vegetation Management Is Key to a Safe and Reliable Grid

Trees, shrubs and other vegetation near power lines can cause safety hazards, including wildfires, and cause outages if they grow too closely.

SCE regularly trims or removes trees that are dead, dying, diseased or growing near or under power lines. SCE prunes trees according to national standards designed to protect tree health. The pruning focuses on power line clearance and does not necessarily encompass the entire tree or consider the resulting aesthetics.

Starting Dec. 10 and continuing throughout the month, crews will be conducting vegetation management work in the Seaview and Klondike Canyon areas.

The safety of customers and crews is SCE’s top priority. Each customer’s connection to local circuits is unique, and SCE assesses how land movement affects infrastructure when determining whether to restore or shut off power. Since this is a dynamic and fluid situation, SCE has been working to lessen the effects on electric infrastructure as quickly as possible. On Friday, Oct. 25, power was restored to segments of the grid. Based on the configuration of these circuits, 28 customers in Rolling Hills and Rancho Palos Verdes can be reenergized in the coming days once SCE has verified that safety measures have been put in place. While some residents may have their power restored, future conditions could require us to turn off power again to protect public safety.

• Many customers have connected their own solar and storage systems since SCE initially de-energized them. To ensure the safety of customers and crews, SCE needs to verify that proper safety measures, including city inspections and permitting, were conducted before power can be restored . For customers who are not part of this round of reenergizations, SCE is exploring alternative solutions to enable safe power restoration where possible.
• SCE’s decision-making process has been comprehensive and meticulous, drawing upon a broad spectrum of technical knowledge from licensed professional geologists, hydrologists, fire scientists and engineers as well as the real-time conditions observed by field crews.

Land Movement and Your Safety

To protect the public, SCE’s system is designed to automatically shut off a section of the circuit if it detects a downed wire. SCE has devices on the grid that segment the circuit to reduce the number of customers or areas affected by outages and the duration of any outages, depending on where the interruption occurs. As part of ongoing work in the area, SCE is adding devices to provide greater operational flexibility. However, changing the grid’s makeup takes years and is not always feasible.

SCE must also consider the ability to maintain the grid on unstable ground. SCE is experiencing conditions that make it difficult to maintain equipment to fix the impacts of the land movement on infrastructure.

• The electric system was built using the best technology and knowledge of land movement available at that time. Although SCE can quickly check the situation and add some extra equipment to make it temporarily safer and less likely to have the wires fall, there aren’t any long-term fixes for fast land movement.
• When the ground shifts, the poles holding the wires will move too, making the wires either too tight or too loose. Both situations can cause problems, leading to a power outage when safety devices like circuit breakers or fuses kick in or wildfires and other hazards when a line falls.
• On Thursday, Aug. 29, a fire ignited by a line falling due to land movement in an area not identified as high risk, according to Palos Verdes geologist maps. While the LA County Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire, it underscores the public safety risks associated with the land movement in the neighborhood.

Monitoring the Dynamic Situation

SCE often uses drones for line and equipment inspections. SCE performs drone inspections only when feasible and in compliance with local and FAA regulations. SCE’s imaging focuses on the equipment to look for additional damage or risks that may not be apparent from drone inspections. SCE is currently doing weekly flights to track the ground movement and is moving to manned helicopter flights to provide lidar measurements of the land movement. Lidar, which stands for light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses laser beams to measure distances to objects.

Outage Information

SCE advised the impacted customers that it may need to shut off the power without notification if there is a safety risk. During an emergency outage, SCE won’t know if the power will be cut until the line is de-energized. Unless it’s planned maintenance, SCE depends on monitoring equipment, customer calls or notifications from local agencies to identify issues. Because power outages happen suddenly in emergencies, SCE can notify you only after the power is off.

• In this ever-changing and dynamic land movement, there will be times when the process requires different periods to reach each decision, and each area is considered to have its unique risks and timeline.

New Circuit Designs

SCE must consider several factors when designing new circuits, including load, capacity and applicable regulations. The original circuit design must be updated to conform to modern requirements before construction begins. Before any work begins, SCE must obtain all necessary permits. To minimize the impact of outages, SCE has devices that segment circuits for maintenance and repair work. Depending on where the issue occurs, this may help reduce the number of customers affected and shorten the duration of outages.

Customer Information with Medical Baseline and Access and Functional Needs

Medical Baseline customers who require the regular use of electrically powered medical equipment or another medical device may qualify for a battery backup that can power medical devices. SCE encourages customers to visit the SCE Marketplace to see if rebates are available. Depending on eligibility, customers may receive a rebate for purchasing a battery or portable generator. SCE encourages customers to evaluate backup generation to help during an interruption. Please visit the Disaster Support page to learn more.

Self-Generating Options Including Solar

SCE continues to work closely with the cities in the Palos Verdes Peninsula and customers affected by the accelerated land movement. If a customer decides to install a solar system with battery storage in their home, SCE will prioritize the interconnection process provided SCE can do so safely. Before installing a backup generator that will be connected to your home or business electrical system, you must notify SCE of the location of the generator by completing and submitting an application for interconnection to SCE, according to California Health and Safety Code Section 119085 (b).

• Attaching a generator to your residence will push power into any wires connected to your house, including the wires attached to your meter. This is called “backfeed“ and creates a dangerous situation. Any electrical workers performing work on a line with backfeed will not know there is power in the line and could be injured or lose their lives. If a line with backfeed breaks and falls to the ground, it could also start fires or electrocute anyone that comes near the line.
• SCE encourages customers to evaluate backup generation to help power critical operations during an interruption and avoid monetary losses as much as possible. Customers need to monitor developments as reported by the city and other regulatory agencies to make sure your property remains safe for habitation.

Stay Informed

SCE will communicate regularly to share emerging information or the status of SCE’s progress. If you have any questions, SCE’s dedicated Customer Support Team can assist you at 1-800-250-7339, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to the SCE customer service team at 1-800-250-7339 Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.