Continuing High Temperatures Necessitate Stage One Electrical Emergency; Conservation is Critical as State Faces Third Day of Possible Customer Outages.News Editors FOLSOM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2001 The California Independent System Operator (California ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. ) issued a Stage One at 10:15 a.m. today, May 9, 2001, as the state enters its third day consecutive day of record setting heat. Consumers are urged to lessen the strain on the power grid by conserving electricity, especially during the afternoon hours. This emergency situation can be attributed to record setting temperatures combined with limited supply, including: -- More than 12,000 megawatts worth of generation that remain unavailable with power plants off-line because of preventative repairs and plant malfunctions. -- Four nuclear units that are still offline in the western U.S. for refueling or repairs. -- And an additional 1,400 megawatts of generation from the state's qualifying facilities (QFs) which remain unavailable. With operating reserves In power systems, the operating reserve is the generating capacity available to the system operator within a short interval of time to meet demand in case a generator is lost or there is another disruption to the supply. hovering hov·er intr.v. hov·ered, hov·er·ing, hov·ers 1. To remain floating, suspended, or fluttering in the air: gulls hovering over the waves. 2. at critical levels, the California ISO requests that customers voluntarily reduce their use of electricity to prevent more severe curtailment Curtailment The act of contracting or reducing operations of a company in the hope of bringing it financial or operational stability. This management technique is often used when a company has grown too fast and is unable to effectively manage its operations. measures. Peak demand on the transmission system is expected to reach 35,367 megawatts between 3-4 p.m. today. Today's Stage One declaration, in effect until midnight, enables the California ISO to access emergency resources to help maintain operating reserves. A Stage Two is declared when reserves drop below five percent. At this level, large commercial customers that have signed up to voluntarily curtail cur·tail tr.v. cur·tailed, cur·tail·ing, cur·tails To cut short or reduce. See Synonyms at shorten. [Middle English curtailen, to restrict power during high demand days will be asked to do so. If an operating reserve shortfall of less than one-and-a-half percent is unavoidable, Stage Three is initiated. Involuntary curtailments of service to customers including "rotating ro·tate v. ro·tat·ed, ro·tat·ing, ro·tates v.intr. 1. To turn around on an axis or center. 2. blackouts" are possible during this emergency declaration. The California ISO's Electrical Emergency Plan (EEP EEP Export Enhancement Program EEP Ecosystem Enhancement Program EEP Early Entrance Program (University of Washington) EEP Equal Error Protection EEP Einstein Equivalence Principle EEP Emergency Evacuation Plan ) is part of the state's enhanced reliability standards enacted by landmark legislation Assembly Bill 1890 that led to the restructuring of California's electricity industry. The California ISO is charged with managing the flow of electricity along the long-distance, high-voltage power lines that make up the bulk of California's transmission system. The not-for-profit public-benefit corporation assumed the responsibility in March, 1998, when California opened its energy markets to competition and the state's investor-owned utilities turned their private transmission power lines over to the California ISO to manage. The mission of the California ISO is to safeguard the reliable delivery of electricity, facilitate markets and ensure equal access to a 25,526 circuit mile "electron highway." Continuously updated information about the California ISO control area's electricity supply and the current demand on the power grid is available on the web at www.caiso.com. Other helpful contacts: Pacific Gas and Electric, 415/973-5930 Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (or SCE Corp), the largest subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 11 million people with electricity. , 626/302-2255 San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. Gas and Electric, 877/866-2066 |
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