Edison.com

February 15, 2012 - Metallic Balloons Can Cause Outages When Striking Power Lines

Media Contact: Paul Klein, (626) 302-2255

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Feb. 15, 2012 � Valentine's Day has come and gone, but Southern California Edison�s heartfelt message to Californians is that metallic balloons still can cause power outages if not handled properly.

Helium-filled metallic balloons can drift and come in contact with high-voltage lines where electricity can arc across the balloons, cause short circuits, burn wires and interrupt service. Resulting power outages may last from a few minutes to several hours, leading to inoperable stoplights and possible traffic problems.

SCE recommends these simple safety rules for handling metallic balloons:

Do not attempt to retrieve a balloon � or any foreign object � tangled in power lines. Instead, call SCE at (800) 611-1911 and report the problem.
Keep metallic balloons indoors, and never release them outside.
Never attach metallic streamers to any balloon � latex or metallic.
Be sure to secure a helium-filled balloon with a weight heavy enough to prevent it from drifting away and coming in contact with high-voltage lines and interrupting service. (It is unlawful to sell metallic balloons without a string weight.)
If you see a downed power line, do not approach it or touch the line or any person or object in contact with the downed line.
If you see a downed power line, call 911 and inform the operator it is an electrical emergency.

More information on metallic balloon safety can be found at www.sce.com/metallicballoons.

About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation�s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

-###-

Metallic Balloons Can Cause Outages When Striking Power Lines

February 8, 2012 - Southern California Edison to Install Smart Meters in North Coast Area

Media Contact: David Song (626) 302-2255

(Note to editors: Photos, a map, animation and a fact sheet are available in the online press room at www.edison.com/smart.)

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Feb. 8, 2012 � Southern California Edison (SCE) has started installing smart electric meters in the North Coast area as part of the Edison SmartConnect program. The technology will enable SCE residential and small-business customers to take advantage of new programs and services in the near future.

Communities in the upcoming installation phase include Camarillo, Carpinteria, Goleta, Isla Vista, Montecito, Oak View, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Barbara, Santa Paula, Ventura, Summerland and a small part of Fillmore and Moorpark.

Edison SmartConnect meters are digital, secure, two-way communicating devices. They are replacing traditional mechanical meters and provide a key step in transforming the electric system to a smart grid. Customers with smart meters will have access to their daily energy usage data through SCE.com. By signing up to receive e-mail, voice or text message alerts, customers can track usage against a monthly budget target of their choice, and reduce bills.

SCE began introducing these programs and services last year and more than 1.5 million customers now have access to them. More customers will be able to make better-informed decisions about energy use by enrolling in the smart meter-enabled programs and services throughout this year.

"Over the past several years, we have focused on developing an industry-leading smart meter program, including extensive testing of our smart meters and associated systems to ensure their quality and performance," said Ken Devore, director of SCE�s Edison SmartConnect program. "Smart meters will empower our customers to become better managers of their electricity usage through new tools, programs and services that will help them save energy and money, and help protect the environment."

Once advanced features are fully activated, SCE�s smart meters will be able to communicate with the next generation of smart thermostats, appliances and other devices.

The first smart meter in the Edison SmartConnect program was installed in September 2009 in Downey. Installations will continue through 2012 to a total of nearly 5 million SCE residential and small-business customers in the utility�s 50,000-square-mile service territory. To date, SCE has installed approximately 3.9 million smart meters.

SCE is partnering with Corix Utilities Inc. to perform most of the installations. Here is some important information for customers receiving the new meters:

Customers will receive advance notice by mail when installations are scheduled in their neighborhood.
Customers do not need to be home, but should provide clear access to their meters. The installer will leave a door hanger indicating if the installation was successful, or if an appointment for installation is required due to access issues.
During a typical residential installation, customers will experience a short power interruption of less than a minute. As an extra measure of protection, customers are encouraged to plug electronic equipment, such as personal computers and televisions, into power surge protectors. Typically, no service interruption is required for smart meter installations at small businesses.
Customers who operate life support medical equipment at their addresses, or have concerns about power interruptions, may call SCE at 1-800-973-2356.
Corix installers carry identification indicating they are approved SCE contractors.
Smart meter customers will receive follow-up mail, notifying them when new program features and services are available and how to access them.

For more information, please go to www.sce.com/edisonsmartconnect. To view videos about Edison SmartConnect, visit sce.com/smartfuture or YouTube.com/SCE.

Edison SmartConnect is a $1.6 billion program authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission. SCE's smart metering program was designed to help achieve California�s energy policy goals, relating to improved electric system reliability, customer energy efficiency and demand response, and reduced environmental impact. As an example, sustained energy conservation, resulting from customer response to energy use information, is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming pollutants by an estimated 365,000 metric tons per year � the equivalent of removing 79,000 cars from the road.

-###-

Southern California Edison to Install Smart Meters in North Coast Area

February 1, 2012 - San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Operators Assessing Leak and Shutdown of Reactor Unit

Media Contact: Media Relations, (626) 302-2255

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 � Southern California Edison (SCE), operator of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, continues to plan for the repair of the steam generator tube leak in Unit 3 following a precautionary shutdown Tuesday. Sensitive monitoring instruments at Unit 3 continue to show no change in radiation levels that would be detectable off-site.

Operators responded quickly yesterday to indications of a steam generator tube leak based on readings from highly sensitive instruments designed to detect this condition, and in time to take action to prevent any potential change in detectable radiation exposure outside the plant boundary. Operators safely shut the plant down and isolated the component that contained the leaking tube within four hours of detecting the indications.

Currently, operators are cooling down Unit 3 and reducing pressure in the plant, which is the method to stop the tube from leaking. They are meticulously following prescribed procedures written specifically for addressing a tube leak condition.

"There was no threat then, nor is there now any danger to the public or to plant workers," said Pete Dietrich, senior vice president and Chief Nuclear Officer for Southern California Edison. "Our operators performed exactly as they are trained to perform and took prompt action to ensure we did not create a situation involving any challenge to the health and safety of the public," Dietrich said.

Unit 2 is currently offline for a planned maintenance, refueling and technology upgrade outage. Service will not be affected; Southern California Edison has ample reserve power to meet customer needs.

-###-

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Operators Assessing Leak and Shutdown of Reactor Unit

January 31, 2012 - San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Operators Perform Precautionary Shutdown of Reactor Unit

Media Contact: Gil Alexander, (626) 302-2255

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Jan. 31, 2012 � Southern California Edison (SCE), operator of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, has begun a precautionary shutdown of Unit 3 because sensors installed for this purpose detected a possible leak in one of the unit�s steam generator tubes.

The potential leak poses no imminent danger to the public or plant workers. There has been no release to the atmosphere. San Onofre personnel will evaluate the cause of the leak and the steps required to repair it and resume operations.

Unit 2 is currently offline for a planned maintenance, refueling and technology upgrade outage. Southern California Edison has ample reserve power to meet customer needs while Unit 3 is offline.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was immediately informed of this development.

-###-

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Operators Perform Precautionary Shutdown of Reactor Unit

January 27, 2012 - Strong Winds Expected in Southern California Communities, Utility Crews Prepared to Respond to Possible Outages

Media Contact: (626) 302-2255

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Jan. 27, 2012 � High winds are forecast for many areas of Southern California and red flag warnings will be in effect today through Saturday evening. Southern California Edison (SCE) reminds its customers outages might occur and to never approach or touch downed power lines. If you see a downed line or dangling wire � even if it appears not to be live � don�t touch or approach it and call 911 immediately.

Santa Ana wind conditions are expected to peak tonight and early Saturday. The National Weather Service is forecasting strong winds in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

SCE is closely monitoring the conditions and has crews on standby to respond immediately, should there be outages. If outages occur, customers can get the latest information at www.sce.com, www.Twitter.com/SoCalEdison and www.facebook.com/socaledison.

Customers on the medical baseline program, who require medical equipment powered by electricity, can get information by calling these numbers:

English: (800) 684-8123
Spanish: (800) 441-2233
Chinese: (800) 843-8343
Korean: (800) 628-3061
Vietnamese: (800) 327-3031
Cambodian: (800) 843-1309
TTY (800) 352-8580

Customer safety is a top priority for SCE. Because of the high fire danger, do not use candles for lighting as they pose a significant fire hazard. Also, check emergency supplies to be sure you have a battery-operated radio, a flashlight and fresh, extra batteries.

SCE encourages customers to keep these other safety tips in mind:

Watch for traffic signals that may be out. Approach those intersections as four-way stops.
Do not use any equipment inside that is designed for outdoor heating or outdoor cooking. Such equipment can emit carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.
To prevent loss of data and/or damage to your sensitive electronic equipment, consider surge suppressors or shut off or disconnect all such equipment during the windstorm or until power has been restored to protect against electrical events that can accompany outages or that can occur during service restoration.
If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into the generator, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates �backfeed,� which is dangerous to repair crews.
Leave the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed to keep your food as fresh as possible. Place blocks of ice inside to help keep food cold. Check food carefully for signs of spoilage.
Check on your neighbors to make sure everyone is safe.

A video and fact sheet about power line safety is available at: www.sce.com/powerlines. The information is available in Spanish at: www.sce.com/cables.

-###-

Strong Winds Expected in Southern California Communities, Utility Crews Prepared to Respond to Possible Outages