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Record heat pushes Calif. power close to breaking

Posted on: Monday, 24 July 2006, 16:59 CDT

By Bernie Woodall

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A record-breaking heat wave pushed California's power grid close to breaking point on Monday, with rolling blackouts possible unless people turn down air conditioning and take other steps to save power, managers of the power grid said.

In a situation that recalled the 2000-2001 energy crisis, an estimated 100,000 Californians were without power on Monday, down from more than 1 million homes and businesses over the weekend, the state's largest utilities said.

The heat is blamed for the deaths of at least four people.

Health officials said one man died in a Stockton nursing home on Sunday after the air conditioning gave out as temperatures reached a sweltering 115 degrees F (46 C).

In Modesto, hospital officials said a patient died of heart failure after being admitted with a temperature of 106 degrees F (41 C) and authorities in Kern County were investigating whether heat caused four deaths, including two from last week.

With reserve supplies on the power grid dwindling as temperatures rise into triple digits across the state, the California Independent System Operator (Cal ISO) called a "Stage 2" power emergency. This means utilities may cut or reduce power to businesses that have agreed to respond when such an emergency occurs in return for lower rates.

It was the first time since summer 2005 that a Stage 2 emergency was called, said Lori O'Donley of the Cal ISO.

Rolling involuntary blackouts, "Stage 3," will occur on Monday if the reserve margin for power is cut around the time of peak demand at 4 p.m. PDT (7 p.m. EDT). The last Stage 3 was called in May 2001.

That can be avoided if consumers raise thermostats and cut off unnecessary appliances, said Marlon Walker of Southern California Edison, which serves 4.7 million homes and businesses.

CONSERVATION ESSENTIAL

"Conservation is absolutely necessary. It's not just key or guidance. It is absolutely necessary if we are going to avoid rolling blackouts," said Walker.

Through midday Monday, the power grid was holding up and most utilities reported no major outages.

Cal ISO expects record demand on Monday at 52,300 megawatts, 15 percent higher than the peak record set last summer, and 26 percent higher than the most electricity California used during the 2000-2001 energy crisis.

Since the energy crisis, when rotating blackouts were common in California, several major changes have been made in the way power is traded, said O'Donley.

Back then, almost all power delivered in California was purchased in a next-day spot market, which companies such as the disgraced and bankrupt Enron Corp. exploited to their advantage. Prices on the California electricity spot market rose ten-fold during the height of the crisis and power delivery was unreliable.

More power plants and better power lines have also helped.

Still, as those plants and transformers on power poles across the state continue to work hard in high heat, the chances they could fail rise, said O'Donley.

"The grid is working," O'Donley said. "But it's critical that everything stay operational. We've got to keep our fingers crossed that everything stays working. They have been running full bore."

Weather forecasters said temperatures would reach 106 degrees F in Sacramento, and near 110 F in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles. While some areas will not be as hot as they were over the weekend, power demand is higher on Monday because businesses are open.

A megawatt in California can usually power about 700 homes, but the number served per megawatt drops during record usage.

(Additional reporting by Leonard Anderson in San Francisco and Scott DiSavino in New York, and Jill Serjeant in Los Angeles)

Source: REUTERS

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