Blackouts Again Avoided: Flex Alert Extended
Sacramento, CA — The California Independent System Operator says rolling power outages were avoided on Wednesday, thanks to conservation measures by state residents, but warns that blackouts remain a possibility today.
A Flex Alert has been extended to 3-10 p.m. as temperatures are expected to spike again.
Governor Gavin Newsom says, “This heat wave is on track to be both the hottest, and the longest, on record, for this state, and many parts of the West, for the month of September.”
Temperatures have ranged from 105-115 in many parts of the state this week.
Blackouts were avoided on Wednesday after miscommunication led utilities to mistakenly cut power to customers in some California cities on Tuesday. The Associated Press reports that the confusion occurred Tuesday afternoon between a dispatcher at the Northern California Power Agency, which owns and operates power generating facilities for 16 members including a dozen cities, and the California Independent System Operator as the grid it manages was very close to running out of energy amid record-breaking temperatures.
An excessive heat warning for most of the state, including the local region, is scheduled to expire at 8pm on Friday.
