Lights-out looming in California

Heat wave drives usage up to record numbers, Independent System Operator may be forced to institute blackout.

NEW YORK (Reuters) — If Californians do not conserve considerably on Monday, rotating outages are possible with demand forecast to reach record levels again due to the heat wave, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) said in a release.

So far Monday, the ISO told the owners of the state’s generating facilities and power lines to avoid maintenance operations until 8 p.m. Pacific Time.

On Friday, the peak demand reached a new record of 49,036 megawatts, up almost 8 percent over last year’s record and almost 2,500 MW over the current record of 46,561 MW set earlier last week on July 18.

Meteorologists forecast the mercury on Monday would reach 84 degrees Fahrenheit in San Diego, 85 F in San Francisco, 86 in Los Angeles, 97 in San Jose, 107 in Fresno and 110 in Sacramento.

Reuters