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Millions of homes and businesses in California are at risk of seeing rolling blackouts on Wednesday, following an extreme heat wave that has gripped the state’s electrical system.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO), which manages most of the state’s electric current, said it managed to avoid the third day of rollouts of blackouts on Monday night because of “lower temperatures and conservation.” A Stage 2 emergency was canceled at 7:30 p.m.
“Thank you for preserving,” said California ISO in a tweet.
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The ISO had warned earlier in the day that as many as 3.3 million homes and businesses are affected by an emergency mission of the evening that required utilities to create rotating stage, two-hour outages through areas.
Towers for transmission of power grids will be on display in Pasadena, California, Saturday, August 15, 2020. The state power grid operator declared Friday, August 14, an emergency and ordered utilities to hide their power loads. (AP Photo / John Antczak)
Record-breaking heat has hit California and other western states since last week, with officials saying it has become more difficult for California to import extra power.
Californians packed beaches, lakes and recreational areas Sunday in search of relief from a record heatwave that strained the power grid and threatened to trigger a third round of running power outages. (AP Photo / John Antczak)
“What we have is a situation where the whole region is more than hot, it’s very hot,” said Steve Berberich, president and CEO of the ISO of California, in a conference call with reporters. “We can not get the energy we would normally get from the state because it is used to serve loads naturally. That would probably earn another 4,000 to 5,000 megawatts and the hole could well have closed the gap. “
The current supply problems and shortages are the hardest to beat in California since 2001, the last time utilities succumbed to rolling blackouts, according to Reuters.
California has ordered rolling power outages for the first time since 2001 when a statewide heat wave hits the electrical system. (AP Photo / Richard Vogel)
ISO of California has been struggling since Friday to reduce electricity demand when it released its first rolling blackouts in nearly 20 years.
The three largest utilities – Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric – switched off power to more than 410,000 homes and businesses for about an hour at a time until the emergency declaration ended 3 1/2 hours later.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCG | PG & E CORP. | 9.17 | -0.24 | -2.55% |
| SCE-C | na | na | na | na |
| SRE | SEMPRA ENERGY | 129.68 | -2.21 | -1.68% |
A second but shorter outing hit Saturday night, from more than 200,000 customers.
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While the ISO on Monday predicted what would have been one of the biggest series of blackouts in state history, a “flex warning” remains from 3pm to 10pm until Wednesday, as customers are still being asked for power to maintain.
“This heat storm is not over, and we expect very high temperatures tomorrow and Wednesday,” Berberich said in a statement late Monday. “With continued assistance from California residents in conserving energy, as we do today, we can reduce the risk of power outages.”
California Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered an investigation into the blackouts and signed an emergency proclamation seeking to free up too much energy capacity.
“These blackouts, which occurred without prior warning or sufficient time for preparation, are unacceptable and unavoidable by the nation’s largest and most innovative state,” Newsom wrote in an emergency proclamation. “This can not stand.”
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At a news conference Monday, the mayor said he was ready to “move forward to just make sure this never happens again.”
California’s Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered an investigation into the rolling blackouts. (AP / Reuters / Mike Blake)
“We failed to predict and plan these deficits and that is simply unacceptable,” he said. “People should be told sooner and that is exactly the purpose of this research.”
Network administrators have warned that the threat of outages remained, as temperatures are expected to reach triple digits in various areas of the state. The National Water Service said it could take until Friday or Saturday before excessive heat waves and warnings are easy.
California has ordered rolling power outages for the first time since 2001 when a statewide heat wave hits the electrical system. (AP Photo / Richard Vogel)
The state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, said that although no outages were needed Monday night, the risk remained for the rest of the week as the heat dragged on.
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“Our customers of all sizes today have taken great time to save electricity and reduce the pressure on the state’s electrical network,” PG&E Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Laurie Giammona said in a statement. “We are extremely grateful for their efforts – which have been very effective in preventing rotating stops throughout the state.”
Customers are encouraged to keep going through Thursday night.
But for Coalinga resident Bonnie Wikler, who lost power twice over the weekend, the power outages were another stress as her husband recovers from open-heart surgery.
Wikler, 66, told the Associated Press that she did not want to drive anywhere else for fear of exposure to coronavirus, and instead stayed in her home while trying to cool off as temperatures reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit.
“If there was a fire like an earthquake, I would understand, but to cut power without leaving you, it just seems foreign to me,” Wikler said.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
