Update - MG&E June 15

Below is MGE's latest update relating to power outages. We are continuing to work with The City of Madison and Dane County with the ongoing storm system.

Please note, that within our outage map, Estimated Time of Restoration is again listed. However, it is subject to change depending on the impending weather.

MGE Continues to Restore Service
 
Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) continues to restore service to customers impacted by Monday afternoon's storm. Approximately 950 customers remain without service as of 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15.

MGE has resumed estimated restoration times for our outages impacting more than one customer. We also continue restoration activities on our single customer outages. Single customer outages currently show an estimated restoration time of 12 p.m. on June 16. The actual restoration may be sooner. All estimates are subject to change based on the potential for storms this evening.

We encourage customers to check our outage map and outage information page for updates as restoration work continues. We are thankful to our community for their continued patience in an extraordinary situation. We understand many of our customers are not used to extended power outages with our record of reliability.

Extensive restoration effort

Due to the extent of the storm damage, crews are still working to address about 150 incidents. MGE has not seen damage this significant for more than 30 years, and the number of separate outage incidents is extremely rare in our territory.

Crews have been able to make significant progress since restoration efforts began Monday, restoring about 96% of customers impacted by the storm.

MGE and mutual assistance crews continue to replace broken poles and address unresolved incidents, many of which require extensive restoration work but impact few customers, making for a more significant restoration effort than we have experienced in recent years. Severe weather in the forecast could impact restoration efforts later today and result in new outages.
 
Since the start of this event, we have brought in significant numbers of additional crews from other utilities and contractors to assist. In addition to MGE personnel, we have mutual assistance and contractor crews working to restore power and trim trees impacted by the storm.
 
Why is restoration taking so long?
This is the largest number of individual outage incidents MGE has experienced at one time. Each incident represents a location with varying complexity to restore service. The biggest challenges with this event have been the high volume of downed lines, the large number of separate outage incidents and new outages resulting from weakened trees and branches falling on power lines.
 
Downed lines
Public safety is our first priority. We are responding as quickly and safely as possible. We remind everyone to stay clear of damaged areas and never approach a downed power line or anything that comes in contact with it. Always assume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous and stay away. If you see a downed line, please notify MGE immediately by calling (608) 252-7111. Visit our safety page to learn more.
 
Report an outage
Customers who have not yet reported a loss of power should call MGE at (608) 252-7111 to report an outage or any incidents of downed wires.
 
Service Restoration  
All outage restoration follows a five-step process. In small incidents, these steps are often done by a single crew and can be accomplished very quickly. In major outages, however, several parts of the company become involved. Learn more about our process.
 
Sometimes you may notice an MGE vehicle or employee/crew in your neighborhood for a while without your service being restored. Here are some of the reasons:

· They are doing damage assessment and reporting the situation back to our dispatch center. They may even leave your neighborhood before service is restored.

· They are monitoring a downed line until a crew can come and make the situation safe.

· They are waiting for the electrical system to be switched so they can work on it.

· They are waiting for additional equipment or materials to complete the job.

 If you have damage to electric lines  
Check our storm and outage FAQ page. If you have damage to the electric lines coming into your home, this page includes a graphic showing what equipment MGE owns and what equipment you own. Customers with damage to their equipment will need to have an electrician make repairs first, then contact us to have our personnel return to restore service.