California’s rolling blackouts could begin at 4 p.m., potentially affecting 3.3M homes

LOS ANGELES – Drivers with the California Independent System Administrator – which controls about 80% of the state’s power grid through Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and San Diego Gas & Electric – said statewide rolling blackouts ranging up to 3.3 million homes in California can start as early as 4 p.m.

RELATED: Statewide Flex Alert issued via Wednesday; Californians contribute to saving electricity

ISO of California will ask the individual utilities for shed power pro-rata to balance the state grid and then the power companies will follow their own protocols in deciding which weeks power will be lost and when, according to the state agency.

If the estimate holds, more than twice as many households will be affected by these blackouts than when California last introduced blackouts in 2001.

Authorities said outages in individual areas are likely to last an average of about two hours, including the time to bring blocks of homes back online.

However, high-risk fire areas could take more time to bring back online, given safety concerns.

All California households were asked to take energy-saving measures from 3pm to 10pm, including homes provided by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

However, LADWP should not be affected by the strikes, as that local property runs its own plants and has sufficient supply to help support the state network.

“We have our own energy plants and transmission line and had enough supply to meet demand and required reserves,” the utility said in a statement. “We have called on our customers to stay tuned to help the state network and reduce the voltage on the system.

LADWP is not part of the CAISO, but helps the state network by providing energy to them to help reduce the number of customers affected by roles of blackouts elsewhere in the state. ”

Whether SCE and SDG & E customers would receive any warning more specifically than the Flex Alert asking them to limit energy consumption and news stories about the potential for widespread blackouts was not immediately clear.

Earlier Monday, Govin Newsom warned Californians to be prepared for more rolling blackouts over the next 72 hours – what he called “most likely” – as the state struggles to meet demand for electricity during a historic, record-breaking heat weach.

California is currently about 4,400 megawatts short of what it needs to provide energy to anyone who needs it Monday, Newsom said.

That estimate may come down due to existing conservation measures already in place, which could also allow officials to delay outages until 7 or 8 p.m. Monday, according to California ISO executives. However, some outcomes seem irreversible.

“We have a perfect storm here,” said ISO President and CEO of California Steve Berberich.

Newsom agreed that despite using “all tools in the toolkit” to meet demand, “we will probably fall short” because oppressive temperatures are stressing the state’s energy system.

Newssom notes that temperatures in Death Valley reached 130 degrees on Sunday, a peak that has not been hit since at least 1931, according to the National Weather Service.

And he added that “quite exceptional weather conditions” have also put firefighters under enormous pressure as they fight wildfires in the state.

“These coming days, we expect a challenge,” the mayor said as he wrote efforts to buy more power from the state, working with the largest users of energy – including large containers — to limit use and better manage the supply of the state.

Newsom said the state should be better prepared to prevent unplanned blackouts.

“You can not control the weather, but you can prepare for weather events,” Newsom said.

“We did not prepare … I am ultimately responsible.”

Large energy users are allowed to shift to backup sources and stored energy that is typically limited when government officials work to urgently deploy more resources systematically, according to the mayor.

Newsom pointed to the state’s shift to sustainable resources as part of the reason for the supply shortage. Shutting down polluting gas power plants has made holes in the state’s energy supply, he said.

While the state remains committed to a greener future, Newsom said, “We can not sacrifice reliability” and promised that officials “would be much more aggressive … in making sure that is the case.”

Reportedly, gas-fired power plants, sometimes also called “peaker plants,” would only return to meet the peak demand within the 72-hour period, Berberich said, but maintenance problems could create problems.

ISO of California would not control that process and Berberich could not say what power plants could be considered.

Off-state supply, which accounts for about 25% of California’s energy, is currently limited. “We can not get the energy we would normally get from the state because it is used to serve charge naturally,” Berberich told reporters.

“On most days, it closes the hole.” A statewide Flex Alert urging residents to voluntarily save electricity will remain in effect until Wednesday.

Officials are also urging companies nationwide to limit their use. In some cases, the state asks business owners to outreach to their customers about energy savings.

Newsom cited Telsa, a major manufacturer of electric cars, as one of the companies working closely with the state.

The California Independent System Operator issued the Flex Alert on Sunday, saying there is not enough energy to meet high consumer demand during the record-breaking heat wave.

To minimize the need for controlled outages, residents were asked to use air conditioning early in the day and set thermostats to 78 in the afternoon and evening hours, while avoiding the use of large appliances between the hours of 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The warning followed blackouts on Friday and Saturday that Newsom said came without warning. He called disruptions to weekend services “unacceptable” and announced Monday that he had signed an emergency proclamation to free up energy capacity.

Through the proclamation, some users and utilities can access backup energy sources to reduce grid pressure during peak hours.

The state initiated some rolling blackouts Friday for the first time since 2001 and again on Saturday and Sunday.

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On Saturday, high temperatures increased the demand for electricity while one power plant was down and wind energy fell short, making a Stage 3 electrical emergency supply last 20 minutes. It was called at 6:28 p.m., causing rolling outages to be immediate as in approach, according to the California Independent System Operator.

Over the weekend, state officials worked to bring more resources online, including increased power from LADWP, the California State WaterProject and investors’ utilities, according to the governor’s office.

LADWP is expected to supply 900 megawatts of power to the state grid on Tuesday.

“Those are thousands and thousands of homes that would otherwise lose power,” Berberich said.

On Sunday, Newsom met with members of the California Independent System Operator, California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission, Government Office of Emergency Services and senior administration officials.

In a letter written to the meeting, the mayor said the blackouts were requested and Saturday without notice and required an investigation.

“Residents, communities and other government organizations have not been given enough warning that these de-energisations can occur.

Together, energy regulators failed to anticipate this event and take accessory actions to provide reliable power to Californians, “Newsom wrote.

“This can not stand. California residents and businesses deserve better from their government.”

Power suppliers say a lack of supply from outside the state contributed to the shortage as other western states struggled to meet their own demand during the heatwave.

During his news conference Monday afternoon, the mayor promised that the investigation would be rapid and extensive.

Residents who in the past had difficulty staying cool could have access to theaters, swimming pools, public libraries and community centers, but these collection points have been largely closed due to COVID-19.

A list of cool centers open across the province is available at lacounty.gov/heat.

To save as much energy as possible, consumers are encouraged to shift their use to morning and night hours and avoid using appliances and air conditioning in the late afternoon and evening hours.

Later in the day, temperatures will remain high, but solar production will drop as the sun sets.

Include energy saving tips:
– set climate thermostats to 78 degrees;
– delay use of important devices;
– turn off unnecessary lights;
– unused electrical appliances unplug;
– blinds and draperies closed;
– rely on fans when possible; en
– limit the time the refrigerator door is open.

Consumers can also cool their homes in earlier hours as they can also charge electric cars, medical devices, mobile devices and laptops and run large devices.

Pool pumps can be set to run in the early morning or late at night.

More conservation tips, along with safety precautions to be taken in case of failure, can be found at flexalert.org.