SFPUC equipment work causes temporary power outage on Treasure Island south end

San Francisco emergency officials alerted residents to an electrical outage on the south end of Treasure Island that affected Avenues D, H, I and M and other nearby streets, and the city alert said power was restored shortly thereafter. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management issued the notice for multiple streets on the island’s south end after the interruption.

SFPUC scheduled crews to perform equipment work on Saturday that included two hourlong shutoffs, with the utility noting the first temporary outage occurred at 4 a.m. and a second was planned for 4 p.m. “Crews will install and energize electrical service equipment that will serve as the backbone of new overhead lines on Treasure Island, the SFPUC says,” the utility’s statement reported through the media. The work is intended to add capacity as development continues on Treasure Island and to boost reliability for current residents.

“The new equipment will add electrical service capacity to meet future demand brought on by development on Treasure Island while also increasing reliability for current residents,” the SFPUC statement said, framing the installation as part of the island’s longer-term upgrade program. SFPUC communications tied the temporary de-energization to the need to connect and energize the new service equipment safely.

The installation required cutting the island’s primary service connection and relying on on-island generators for the workday, the SFPUC notice said. “The work requires de-energization of the Island's primary service connection, requiring the Islands primary generators to power the Islands for the duration of the workday, according to the press release.” That generator contingency was cited as the operational plan while crews energized the new overhead-line backbone.

Public accounts vary on exactly which streets were affected. SFGate’s listing of impacted locations expanded the city alert to include Ninth Street, Chinook Court, Flounder Court and Sturgeon in addition to Avenues D, H, I and M. The emergency alert and the SFPUC maintenance notice do not explicitly state whether they describe the same interruption; the city alert referenced an estimated restoration time without specifying the ETA, and SFPUC’s media notes focused on the Saturday work schedule and generator use.

Officials have not released a customer count, a complete verified list of affected addresses, or a detailed timeline showing when generators were engaged. The alert did not specify whether “Sturgeon” refers to Sturgeon Court or another suffix. SFPUC and SFDEM communications accompanying the weekend activity did not include numbers for affected properties or descriptions of any impacts to elevators, medical equipment, businesses or emergency services.