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Californians asked to conserve power amid brutal heat wave

Published:Friday | September 2, 2022 | 6:27 PM
Stephanie Williams, 60, cools off with water from a hydrant in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, Wednesday, August 31, 2022. Excessive-heat warnings expanded to all of Southern California and northward into the Central Valley on Wednesday, and were predicted to spread into Northern California later in the week. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Californians sweltering in the West's lengthening heat wave were asked to reduce air conditioning and cut other electricity use again during critical hours Friday to prevent stress on the state's electrical grid that could lead to rolling blackouts.

It was the third consecutive day of requests by the state's electrical grid operator for voluntary cutbacks during late afternoon and evening hours to balance supply and demand as millions of residents endured triple-digit temperatures.

The California Independent System Operator said multiple generators have been forced out of service because of the extreme heat, making energy supplies tighter.

Electricity demand on Thursday hit a peak of 47,357 megawatts, the highest since September 2017. Cal ISO credited conservation and reduced commercial use with keeping the grid stable.

“The major concern now is even higher temperatures forecast for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with projected loads climbing to more than 49,000 megawatts on Tuesday,” Cal ISO said in a statement.

In August 2020, a record heat wave caused a surge in power use for air conditioning that overtaxed the grid. That caused two consecutive nights of rolling blackouts, affecting hundreds of thousands of residential and business customers.

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