(The last paragraph will add the effect of possible PG and E outages)
September ((Reuters) – The California Independent System ISO operator (ISO) declared a “Stage 2” power crisis late Saturday night, warning of a possible lack of rotating electricity amid record temperature surges.
Stage 2 Power Emergency means that ISO has taken all the reduction actions but it will no longer be able to provide its expected energy release requirements.
Temperatures of up to 125 degrees (49 Celsius) were set for Labor Day weekend to punish California, increasing the risk of wildfires and roll blackouts.
California Governor Gavin News declared a state of emergency on Friday, announcing that power plants were running above normal limits during the three-day holiday weekend.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has forecast that temperatures in Southern California carry “rare, dangerous and very deadly” during the holiday weekend.
State officials urged California to turn off unnecessary appliances and lights to avoid blackouts from overcrowded power grids.
Authorities told power generators to delay any maintenance by the end of the week, so as to prevent blackouts such as two nights in mid-August gust as residents created air conditioning.
This weekend was expected to be warmer in mid-August which sparked the second and third largest forest fires in California history. That fire is still burning.
Death Valley in the Mojave Desert of California recorded the hottest air temperature recorded on the planet 1F0F (C on C) on Aug. 1 and is expected to rise to about 144 on Sunday, the NWSA said.
San Francisco-based power provider PG&E Corp. said Saturday it may be asked to turn off power due to “extreme heat” by the grid operator. He urged consumers for power conservation.
The company said parts of Northern California could be cut off early Monday and Tuesday as hot, dry winds are likely to threaten the region.
PG & EA said its potential power shut-off could affect parts of 17 counties, including about 103,000 customers.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
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