Power Outages
Reporting
Call MGE at (608) 252-7111
- Electrical outage
- Natural gas emergency
Causes
Most outages are caused by natural events
- Storms
- Animals touching wires
- Tree branches brushing power lines
Some are caused by
- Accidents
- Equipment failure
Momentary outages
- Protect the electric system from severe overloading
- Increase overall service reliability
Devices called reclosing circuit breakers or reclosers briefly interrupt the flow of current. The power is restored when the circuit is closed again.
Reclosers on the MGE system
- Are programmed to try to clear a detected fault
- Cause "blinks" as the reclosers go through their fault-clearing sequence
If the fault cannot be cleared, the circuit will stay open and an extended outage results.
Plan ahead for outages
Your business will do better the more you know and prepare. Consider:
- Emergency light system
- Emergency fire pump
- Emergency backup power system
- Equipment or system shutdown priorities
Emergency phone number correction
MGE's emergency phone number was incorrectly listed by Yellowbook Inc. in its 2012 printed telephone directory. Please use the following phone numbers for emergencies:
- Smell natural gas? Leave immediately and call MGE at (608) 252-1111.
- Lights out, powerline down or other emergency, call (608) 252-7111.
- Toll-free emergency, call 1-800-245-1123.
