Flex Alert Extended To Start Monday Afternoon
Sacramento, CA — A combination of Western wildfires and the triple-digit heat caused California power operators to call for another day of reduced electrical use in the state.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) is urging people to conserve energy after the huge Bootleg wildfire burning in neighboring Oregon disrupted the flow of electricity from three major transmission lines and the heatwave continuing into the workweek. A five-hour “flex alert” is set to begin at 4 p.m. today (Monday, July 12) and last until 9 p.m. Consumers are asked to “conserve as much electricity as possible” to avoid outages.
In addition, the ISO issued a Restricted Maintenance Operations (RMO) for today that requires utility operators to postpone any planned outages for routine equipment maintenance, ensuring that all available resources can be dispatched to the grid.
The ISO detailed, “The fast-moving Bootleg Fire tripped off transmission lines on Friday and
Saturday, limiting electricity flow from the Pacific Northwest to California and other states. Power supplies to the California ISO service territory, which covers about 80 percent of the state, have been reduced by as much as 3,500 megawatts because of the fire.”
A Flex Alert is not mandatory, but during one the public is strongly encouraged to set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, avoid using major appliances, like dishwashers and clothes washers and dryers, and turn off all unnecessary lights.
