Heatwave tips California to edge of power blackout

LOS ANGELES - A record-breaking heatwave pushed California's power grid close to the breaking point yesterday, 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 yesterday morning. That was down from more than 1 million homes and businesses over the weekend, a check with the state's largest utilities showed.

With temperatures exceeding 100F (37C) in parts of the state, the California Independent System Operator (Cal ISO) called a "Stage 1" power emergency, meaning the power grid may become strained to the point that utilities will have to force some customers into the dark.

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 is absolutely necessary. It's not just key or guidance. It is absolutely necessary if we are going to avoid rolling blackouts," said Walker. "The best thing customers can do is conserve so we can divert power to make sure everyone has some."

Cal ISO expected record demand yesterday at 52,300 megawatts. That would break the record set last Friday at 49,036 megawatts, which broke a record set last Monday.

If California does get to the forecast 52,300 megawatts usage level, it would be 15 per cent higher than the peak record set last summer, and 26 per cent 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 Lori O'Donley of the Cal ISO.

Back then, almost all of the 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 generating plants and transmission lines and improvements in the delivery system allow the Cal ISO grid to transmit more power than five years ago.

Still, as those plants and the transformers on power poles across the state must continue to work hard in high heat, the chances that they could fail are higher, said O'Donley of the Cal ISO.

"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 110 degrees Fahrenheit in Sacramento, and near 110 in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles. Fresno was forecast to hit 107 degrees.

While some areas will not be as hot as they were over the weekend, power demand will rise as businesses open their doors.

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)

- REUTERS