Contra Costa County Warned To Prepare For Rolling Blackouts

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — PG&E customers in Contra Costa County should prepare for rolling blackouts Sunday evening due to strain on the electrical grid, officials warned.

As temperatures in the region exceeded 110 degrees Sunday, the California Independent System Operator warned that there may be an energy shortage. If they occur, PG&E rolling blackouts would take place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

These outages should last between one to two hours for most customers, PG&E warned.

"This plan could change significantly if directed by the CAISO in order to meet system needs," El Cerrito officials warned residents. "The situation remains dynamic."

The California Independent System Operator blamed the potential energy shortage on a perfect storm of heatwaves leading to increased demand while wildfires knock out supply. Fires have caused a generator and a solar farm to trip offline, further affecting the state's power grid.

"With today's excessive heat, increased #electricity demand and #wildfires taking out transmission lines, system energy supplies could be up to 4,000 megawatts short this evening," California ISO said Sunday afternoon on Twitter.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is taking "aggressive" steps to free electrical capacity and reduce demand.

"Wildfires have caused system failures, while near record energy demand is predicted as a multi-state heat wave hits the West Coast for the second time in a matter of weeks."
Customers are asked to shift the bulk of energy use to late night or early daytime hours.
Steps customers can take include setting air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees, if health permits; deferring use of major appliances; turning off unnecessary lights; unplugging devices not in use; closing blinds and drapes; using fans when possible; and limiting time the
refrigerator door is open.

Bay City News Contributed To This Report