(Reuters) – California’s power grid operator on Thursday issued a “flex” alert for Friday, asking consumers to conserve energy from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. as high demand driven by extreme heat could trigger a capacity shortfall on the state’s electric grid.
If the grid is still unable to meet power needs and other tools for emergency conditions also fall short, the California Independent System (ISO), the grid operator, said in a statement that it could order utilities to implement rotating power outages, “although that is not anticipated at this time.”
The ISO on July 1 said it would procure additional power capacity again this year as California reels from a heat wave.
A heat wave that gripped parts of the United States and Canada last month strained power grids in California and Texas, sending power prices in some regions soaring to their highest level in months.
(Reporting by Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler)
