Over half a million Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers were warned about rotating outages Tuesday as the state continues to deal with a brutal heat wave.
California Independent System Operators, which runs the state's electrical grid, declared an Energy Emergency Alert 3 from 5:17 to 8 p.m. PG&E said CAISO asked the utility to tell customers rotating outages lasting one to two hours were possible, but efforts from residents helped avoid them.
- MORE: Look up if you'll be impacted by rotating outages at PGE.com/rotatingoutages
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The call comes during a historic heat wave that has torched the Bay Area and state with triple-digit temperatures. State energy officials said the electrical load Tuesday afternoon could top 51,000 megawatts, the highest demand the state has ever seen.
The CAISO site Tuesday morning showed California could fall more than 5,000 megawatts short of its power supply at peak demand, forecasted for 5:30 pm.
Use interactive map to check outages reported in Bay Area
Stages of CAISO's Energy Emergency Alerts
- Energy Emergency Alert 1: Real-time analysis shows all resources are in use or committed for use, and energy deficiencies are expected. Market participants are encouraged to offer supplemental energy and ancillary service bids. Consumers are encouraged to conserve energy.
- Energy Emergency Alert 2: Cal ISO requests emergency energy from all resources and has activated its emergency demand response program. Consumers are urged to conserve energy to help preserve grid reliability.
- Energy Emergency Alert 3: ISO is unable to meet minimum Contingency Reserve requirements and controlled power curtailments are imminent or in progress according to each utility’s emergency plan. Maximum conservation by consumers requested.
What happens when rotating outages are ordered?
The California Independent System Operator declares a Stage 3 power emergency and directs utilities around the state to shed their power loads. If your local utility determines a need to shut off power, the blackouts typically last about an hour.
After Cal ISO issues the power outages alert, it's up to local utilities to manage load.
"The investor-owned utilities are responsible for determining the location and duration of the rotating outage within their service areas," according to Cal ISO. "Because the utilities are responsible for managing the rotating outages, consumers experiencing a power outage need to contact their electric power provider to learn when power will be restored."
How can I prepare for a power outage?
Below, you’ll find a few tips to get you through a power outage.
- Update your contact information with your local energy company.
- Have a back-up charging method for your phone and other devices.
- Keep hard copies of emergency numbers and other important information.
- Stock your emergency kit with flashlights, batteries, cash and first-aid supplies.
- Do you know how to manually open your garage door? Try it out.
- Save operation of power-heavy appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, for early-morning and late-evening hours.
- Limit the opening and reopening of refrigerators.
