Tens of thousands of residents faced a widespread Gig Harbor Power Outage Friday morning. The outage affected communities across the Key Peninsula and in Gig Harbor, prompting the local utility, Peninsula Light Co., to investigate.
According to Peninsula Light Co.'s outage map, around 34,000 to 35,000 customers were initially without power. The utility reported its entire system was affected.
Peninsula Light Co. later announced the cause stemmed from a mechanical failure within a Tacoma Power system. This failure occurred as TPU crews prepared for scheduled maintenance. According to an updated post from the utility, a high voltage switch failed at 9:18 a.m.
Tacoma Power crews are coordinating with Peninsula Light Co. staff to resolve the issue and restore service. PenLight dispatch is working to bring up substations slowly and restore power in sections to prevent system overload.
The number of residents affected by the Gig Harbor Power Outage has significantly decreased throughout the morning. The utility's outage map shows approximately 10,000 customers are now without power, with that figure continuing to drop as restoration progresses.
The widespread outage impacted local infrastructure, including schools. All schools in the Peninsula School District were affected, according to information sent to families.
Peninsula Light Co. officials requested patience from affected customers as crews work. A statement from Tacoma Power indicated repairs were underway, stating, "We are currently restoring power now to PLC customers as quickly and safely as possible."