Oregon Power Providers Point Finger at Cannabis Grows

A pair of Oregon power companies say that legal indoor marijuana cultivation businesses are taking Oregon’s electrical grid above capacity and are behind several transformer blowouts over the last year.

Now, utility companies are asking cannabis growers to consult power providers before starting home or commercial growing to make sure electrical systems are working properly.

Since July, indoor grows have been behind seven blown-out transformers belonging to Pacific Power, causing outages and equipment damage, according to the Spokesman-Review.

Portland General Electric blows out about 400 transformers annually, and about 10% of those are from growing operations, the paper reported.

Just one or two indoor growing operations with poorly managed electricity can overload the local grid, blowing the transformer and causing an outage.