Millions of California residents struggled Monday night with potential blackouts as a stifling heatwave forced energy companies to reduce stress on the state’s grid.
The California Independent System Operator, as ISO, which controls most of the state’s electric current, warned that it had instructed companies to switch power on in rolling blackouts due to high electricity requirements because residents visit them houses to cool. ISO President and President Steve Berberich of California said the state is short on 4,400 megawatts, which equates to about 3.3 million homes.
Govin Gavin Newsom on Monday signed an emergency proclamation allowing some users and utilities to use “hot energy sources” during peak hours.
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The California ISO issued a Stage 3 power emergency alarm on Friday. The warning ordered the first rolling outages in the state in nearly 20 years.
Power was cut Friday to 410,000 homes and businesses Friday for about an hour at a time by three of the state’s largest utilities – Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric, NBC Bay Area reported.
San Diego Gas and Electric released a statement Monday urging customers to save energy, as weather conditions could force more widespread stress in the coming days.
“The heat wave is forecast to continue through Thursday, and CAISO expects a significant shortage in energy supply needed to meet the exceptionally high energy demand,” the statement said.
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Newsom on Monday sent a letter to the California ISO and the California Energy Commission requesting an investigation.
“Residents, communities and other government organizations have not been given sufficient warning that these de-energizations may occur,” Newsom wrote. “Together, energy regulators failed to anticipate this event and take necessary actions to provide reliable power to Californians. This cannot stand. Residents and businesses in California deserve better from their government.”
Flex warnings were issued through Wednesday to ask residents to be vigilant in conserving energy around their homes through simple actions such as turning off unnecessary lights and appliances, as well as setting climate thermostats at about 78 degrees or higher.
The Associated Press contributed.
