Rolling Blackouts Sweep Across California, USRolling blackouts swept across the state Monday for the first time since January after dwindling electricity reserves prompted a Stage 3 alert.The blackouts began at noon and stretched from San Francisco to San Dieto and east to the Nevada line. They were ordered by the California Independent System Operator(ISO), which blamed high demand and a lack of electricity from the Northwest as it ordered the state's two biggest utilities to cut a total of 1,000 megawatts, enough power for roughly 1 million homes. The order could increase to 2,000 megawatts during the evening. California is anticipating a summer of power shortages and potential rolling blackouts. Natural gas supplies are tight, water supplies are down and a heat wave could drive up demand for power. The state's peak demand for power is expected to exceed supplies from May through September, according to the ISO. |
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