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2d ago

New San Francisco Outage Hits 11,000 as PG&E Moves to Remove Noisy Richmond Generators

Residents cite sleepless nights from diesel generators during short cutovers PG&E says will restore normal circuits.

A downed tree at a parking lot in Fort Bragg on Dec. 24, 2025. Downed trees and power outages dotted Mendocino County as a series of winter storms brought heavy rain and wind to the region Christmas week. (Photo by Mary Rose Kaczorowski via Bay City News)
Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which has been running seven noisy generators in San Francisco’s Richmond District to provide alternative power, says residents could be back to grid power as soon as Monday. 
More than 11,000 PG&E customers were without power after a transformer in the Richmond neighborhood caught fire.
PG&E says it will soon remove the roaring generators that have been providing alternative power to San Francisco’s Richmond District since Monday.

Overview

  • About 11,000 customers in the Richmond, Presidio and Golden Gate Park lost power around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, with most restored by about 10:15 p.m., according to PG&E and local reports.
  • PG&E also scheduled a brief outage around 11 p.m. Sunday to switch the Richmond area off temporary generators and back onto the grid, a step officials said was part of the transition plan.
  • Seven large diesel generators installed at 24th Avenue and Balboa since Dec. 22 drew complaints of continuous noise, with some residents recording levels approaching 100 decibels; PG&E offered hotel stays, $200 per day for food, bill credits and expedited claims.
  • The Sunday evening interruption followed a separate outage Saturday that cut power to roughly 6,000 customers in the Sunset for several hours, prompting Supervisor Alan Wong to press for a public hearing and stronger accountability.
  • PG&E said most storm-related customers have been restored and it is working to end generator use in the coming days, while community rallies and local leaders push for answers and, in some cases, public-power options.