PORTLAND, Oregon — The heat wave in Oregon put strains on equipment and caused scattered power outages in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
Around 4 p.m. on Monday, Portland General Electric (PGE) reported 1,059 customers without power in Multnomah County and 1,635 customers without power in Washington County.
PGE spokesperson Andrea Platt said there is plenty of power, but equipment is breaking due to the heat.
“We know with these extended periods of high heat puts strain on the electrical equipment within our system. And sometimes that can cause it to break down,” she said.
Platt said PGE expects to hit an all-time high for electricity demand on Monday.
Customers can report an outage or check on estimated restoration time on PGE's website. People in the Portland area can also call 503-464-7777.
Over the weekend, two power bumps at the Portland International Airport tripped switches and shut down escalators and moving walkways.
Spokesperson Kama Simonds said the first power bump happened at 7 p.m. on Saturday and the second one at 8 p.m. on Sunday.
“When we get a power bump which happens occasionally…it trips a bunch of breakers," said Simonds. "And there’s a lot of equipment that has to be restarted manually. So, think of all the moving walkways and escalators; our maintenance crews have to go out and restart those,” she said.
The airport has its own backup power for runways and lights.
Pacific Power said its records show no interruption in electricity supplied to the airport.
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