Gov. Newsom extends State of Emergency to increase energy production, reduce grid strain
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE MAY 16, 2022, at 10:21 a.m.- Gov. Gavin Newsom has extended the State of Emergency he announced last week after triple-digit heat is expected through Friday.
The heat wave is expected to be California's hottest and longest for Sept. and could set new record highs for demand on the state's energy grid. The forecasted usage will be 51,276 megawatts Tuesday.
"Californians’ action to conserve energy during the Flex Alert yesterday saved 1,000 megawatts of power," the Office of the Governor announced. "We need an additional 2,000 megawatts of savings today given higher forecasts, and everyone needs to play a part."
Beginning at 4 p.m., state buildings will power down lights and air conditioning to save energy. The state has also imported energy from out-of-state, installing emergency generators and creating a Strategic Reliability Reserve to ease the strain on our grid.
“Californians have stepped up in a big way during this record heat wave, but with the hottest temperatures here now, the risk of outages is real. We all have to double down on conserving energy to reduce the unprecedented strain on the grid,” said Governor Newsom. “We need everyone – individuals, businesses, the state and energy producers – to do their part in the coming days and help California continue to meet this challenge.”
Gov. Newsom declares State of Emergency to increase energy production, reduce grid strain
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a State of Emergency to temporarily increase energy production and reduce demand as California will experience extreme heat over the coming days.
Read more: California ISO issues Flex Alert
This will temporarily allow power plants to generate more electricity, allow the use of backup generators to reduce the amount of energy they need to draw from the grid and allow ships in California ports to reduce their electricity consumption from the grid Newsom.
The State of Emergency will last from August 31 all the way through Sept. 6.
Northern California's temperatures are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees above average. Southern California's temperatures are expected to be 10-18 degrees above average.
To read the full release, click here.
