California's power grid operator said Monday it does not anticipate rotating outages but urged customers to prepare to conserve energy during the coming heatwave.
"We are headed into some record-breaking high heat territory, and we may call a Flex Alert if needed," Anne Gonzales, a spokesperson for California Independent System Operator, which oversees most of the state's electric grid.High temperatures will reach the upper 90s Fahrenheit in Los Angeles on Tuesday-Wednesday, which is more than 25 degrees over the normal high for this time of year, according to AccuWeather.
"We are working to give the public as much advance notice as possible," Gonzales said, noting "we believe that consumer conservation saved us from extended and more severe rotating outages, both in August and September" in 2020. Last summer, a heatwave in August forced California utilities to impose rotating blackouts that left over 400,000 homes and businesses without power for up to 2-1/2 hours when energy supplies ran short.
Power prices for Tuesday in the U.S. West soared to their highest levels since February as homes and businesses cranked up air conditioners to escape the approaching heatwave.Power traded on Monday for Tuesday jumped to $339 per megawatt hour at Palo Verde hub in Arizona and $189 in SP-15 in Southern California, their highest levels since the February freeze caused prices across the country to soar.
The California ISO forecast power demand would peak at 36,118 megawatts on Monday and 40,839 MW on Tuesday, the highest peaks since October 2020. The ISO said it currently had about 48,110 MW of supply to meet Monday's peak. The grid's all-time peak was 50,270 MW in July 2006.Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.