California issues power alert
SACRAMENTO, Calif. --Scorching temperatures across California created a near-record demand for electricity Wednesday, drawing down the state's energy reserves and prompting officials to urge residents to restrict their use of appliances.
The state's electricity grid manager declared a Stage 1 emergency, the first of three steps preceding rolling blackouts, in which power is cut to certain regions to avoid a systemwide crash.
"We're tapping our operating reserves and we are stepping up our calls for conservation, but we are still a long way from a Stage 3 alert and blackouts," said Stephanie McCorkle, a spokeswoman for the California Independent System Operator.
For a second straight day, energy demand surged 1,000 megawatts above forecasts, according to the independent system operator. If that trend continues Thursday, California would set a new all-time record for energy demand and come close to using all the available electricity resources that are forecast for the state.
The agency manages the flow of power over lines owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Co.,
Electricity is in scarce supply this week because temperatures are high simultaneously in the northern and southern parts of the state, as well as throughout the West.
Phoenix reached a milestone Wednesday: 29 days of 110 degree-plus temperatures in a single year. The previous record of 28 days was set in 1970 and matched in 2002, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures were expected to reach 108 Thursday in Fresno and 103 in Sacramento, while ranging from 87 to 100 degrees in the Los Angeles area.
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Associated Press writer Amanda Lee Myers in Phoenix contributed to this report.
