“Flex Alert” Cancelled for Weekend

The statewide call to save energy remained in effect for Friday, but called off for the weekend.

Though sweltering conditions throughout California are expected to continue through the weekend, a statewide appeal to reduce power use was canceled.

The "Flex Alert" announced Thursday remained in effect Friday, but the nonprofit organization that operates the state's power grid said it was no longer as critical that power users conserve electricity through the weekend.

For Friday, the alert called on residents to set air conditioning to 78 degrees or higher, postpone major appliance use till after 6 p.m. and generally turn off unnecessary electricity-using devices and lights.

Link: California ISO's Latest Outlook Graph

The California Independent System Operator, or Cal-ISO, said expected demand for electricity was predicted to be lower over the weekend than it was for Friday.

The alert issued Thursday was triggered in part by a gas-fired power plant in Ventura County in Southern California that went offline late Wednesday night, according to Steven Greenlee, a spokesman with Cal-ISO, which issued the Flex Alert.

"That was 775 megawatts that we certainly didn't want to lose at this particular time. That was just a little bit more shaving off of our supply margin, and that did contribute to the Flex Alert," Greenlee said.

He said he was unsure when the unit at the approximately 40-year-old Ormond Beach Generating Station in Oxnard would be back online. A call to the plant's owner – GenOn Energy, a Texas-based corporation – was not immediately returned Friday.

Greenlee added that Cal-ISO is seriously considering issuing another alert for Monday, when electricity demand typically surges. Later in the day Friday, Cal-ISO officials said they had determined they would not need to call an alert for Monday.

High temperatures will still be well above 100 degrees for inland areas of the Bay Area through Saturday.

Air quality is still bad here as well. The Air Quality Management District declared a spare the air day for Saturday.  

With temperatures expected to top 100 degrees in some parts of the Bay Area, officials are opening cooling centers..

Here's a list of the ones we found:

MORGAN HILL

  •     Cooling Centers will be open in Morgan Hill throughout the weekend.
  •     Friday, August 10 Community & Cultural Center 17000 Monterey Road Open until 5:00PM and again from 6:30PM - 9:30PM
  •     Centennial Recreation Center 171 W. Edmundson Ave Open until 10 pm Saturday, Aug. 11
  •     Centennial Recreation Center 171 W. Edmundson Ave Open from 7AM - 8 PM Sunday, Aug
  •     Centennial Recreation Center 171 W. Edmundson Ave Open from 8:00AM - 6:00PM

VACAVILLE

  •     McBride Senior Center at 91 Town Square Place, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  •     Three Oaks Community Center at 1100 Alamo Drive, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  •     Georgie Duke Center at 720 E. Monte Vista Ave., noon to 8 p.m.
  •     Ulatis Community Center at 1000 Ulatis Drive, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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