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US California Declares Power Alert for Third Day
A Stage Two power alert was issued Wednesday in California for the third day in a row as power reserves dropped below 5 percent.
A heat wave is sweeping the state in the recent days, sending temperatures soaring and power reserves dropping, leading to rolling blackouts Monday and Tuesday. Blackouts do not occur until a Stage Three power alert is declared.
Over 500,000 homes in over 120 cities from Los Angeles to San Francisco across the golden state were affected in the past two days. Usage was down about 3 percent Tuesday, but trouble hit in the heat of the afternoon when people began turning on their air conditioners.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO), who regulates the state's power supplies, called on residents to conserve power. "Conservation efforts of Californians are critical to minimizing the overall impact of ... outages," ISO official Stephanie McCorkle said.
Governor Gray Davis has already made a call for electricity conservation by the public and industry as a key part of his effort to guide the state through a tough summer.
California has been plagued by a power shortage since last year, and the latest blackouts were ordered due to the surge in power demand caused by a heat wave, as well as the tight supply of electricity as several power plants are shut down this week for maintenance.
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