Rolling Blackouts Ordered Amid Strain On California's Power Grid

LOS ANGELES, CA — Managers of California's power grid were anticipating another day of high electricity demand Saturday, one day after initiating rolling blackouts for the first time since 2001.

The Stage 3 Emergency comes as demand for power surged in one of the worst heat waves to hit California in a decade.

The heatwave is expected to peak Saturday across the Southland, while record highs were broken around the Bay Area on Friday. It is expected to last most of next week, and prompted the manager of the state's power grid to declare a Stage 3 Emergency and direct utility companies to initiate rotating outages throughout California.

In Northern California, no additional outages were expected Saturday, according to the Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

Cal-ISO, which oversees California's electrical grid, declared a Stage 3 Emergency at 8 p.m., initiating the rotating outages throughout the state. The emergency was lifted shortly before 10 p.m., and power was restored.

Southern California Edison announced at 7:45 p.m. that the California Independent System Operator directed it to begin rotating, one-hour service interruptions. Pasadena Water and Power also warned residents about the one- hour outages, while Anaheim officials said their outages would not last more than 15 minutes.

"A Stage 3 Emergency is declared when demand outpaces available supply," Cal-ISO said in a statement. The order was declared after "extreme heat drove up electricity demand across California, causing the ISO to dip into its operating reserves for supply to cover demand."

"Although a Stage Emergency is a significant inconvenience to those affected by rotating power interruptions, it is preferable to manage an emergency with controlled measures rather than let it cause widespread and more prolonged disruption," Cal-ISO said.

A Flex Alert was issued earlier in the day, urging residents statewide to conserve electricity between 3 and 10 p.m. to avoid overloading the power system. But shortly after 5 p.m., demand on the system was so severe that Cal-ISO declared a Stage 2 Emergency.

Residents were being urged to cut back their electricity usage. Cal- ISO offered a series of tips, including:

• Turning off unnecessary lights;
• Using major appliances before 3 p.m. and after 10 p.m.;
• Setting air conditioner thermostats to 78 degrees or higher;
• Using fans; and
• Keeping drapes drawn.

City News Service contributed to this report.