Submitted by OPALCO.

Starting Thursday, May 25 at 11:45 p.m. until 5 a.m. on May 26 all of San Juan Island will be affected by a planned power outage necessary for the OPALCO crew to make critical maintenance and repairs for continued power reliability. This maintenance outage will be during the night to minimize impact to OPALCO consumers. The outage will begin at approximately 11:45 pm on Thursday, May 25 and power is expected to be restored on May 26, no later than 5 am. During this time, OPALCO crews will upgrade transmission equipment and perform maintenance on the system.

OPALCO consumers should set a reminder for Thursday night 05/25. Turn sensitive equipment off at the power strip or unplug it. In the morning, turn equipment on gradually to aid in power load pick up. OPALCO members are responsible for their own equipment and are encouraged to install surge protection to safeguard electronic, computer and other sensitive appliances.

OPALCO’s system is strong and its line crews are skillful and ready – however, outages happen, and islanders must be prepared. Now is a great time to check your outage preparation including your kit of the things you need to keep you comfortable during power outages and test your battery or generator backup. Check our website for outage checklists and other key information for making sure you are ready at www.opalco.com/outage-preparation and safety.

Orcas Power and Light Cooperative is our member-owned cooperative electric utility, serving more than 11,400 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 97% greenhouse-gas free and is generated predominantly by hydroelectric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937. Follow OPALCO @OrcasPower on Facebook and Twitter.