The San Juan Islands will be without electrical power for seven hours beginning one minute before midnight, Thursday, May 8, as part of a planned power outage.

Power will be shutdown at the mainland to allow Bonneville Power Administration, Orcas Power and Light Cooperative‘s primary electrical supplier, to do high-voltage maintenance and its Fidalgo substation. BPA expects to turn the power back over to OPALCO by 6 a.m., and power to the islands is anticipated to be up and running by 7 a.m.

OPALCO will bring its power systems back online circuit by circuit to avoid high-demand charges. Find updates online at www.opalco.com and on Twitter, @orcaspower.

OPALCO reminds members that they are responsible for their own equipment; surge protectors are encouraged to safeguard electronic, computer and other electrically sensitive equipment and appliances.

To be prepared for the outage, OPALCO recommends turning off sensitive electronics and equipment at the surge protector, or unplugging them completely, and keep a flashlight handy overnight. In the morning, turn electronics and appliances back on slowly, one at a time.

For on surge protection, and to learn how to prepare for an outage and what to do during an outage, go to www.opalco.com.