SAN DIEGO — San Diego Gas & Electric officials said were informed of the need for rotating blackouts on Saturday night.
In a release, the utility said:
“Due to excessive heat and high energy demand, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has ordered SDG&E and other utilities across the state to begin rotating outages in its service territory. Impacted customers will be without power for about an hour. While the rotating outages will be widespread in the region, customers who experienced them on Friday and communities located in High Fire Threat Districts who experience Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are not expected to be impacted.”
Saturday the second consecutive day where rotating blackouts were requested.
"However, given what occurred on Friday, SDG&E will provide our customers with as much notice as possible should the situation change, via news outlets, our social channels, sdge.com and phone calls," said Jessica Packard of SDG&E.
Packard said it's all an effort to protect the overall state grid and prevent massive outages which could be devastating.
"Given the recent temperatures and hot weather, mixed with people staying at home more with the COVID pandemic, I think energy usage is higher than usual and there are some consequences to that," Packard said.
After a day that saw triple-digit temperatures in many parts of the state, the Cal-ISO declared a Stage 3 Emergency Friday and directed utility companies to initiate rotating outages throughout California.
That led SDG&E to cut power to large areas of San Diego County to cope with increased demand brought about by the heat wave, which is expected to last into next week.
The rolling outages began at 6:40 p.m. and ended shortly after 8 p.m., SDG&E said. About 58,700 customers were affected by the blackouts.
The statewide emergency was lifted shortly before 10 p.m., and power was restored.
"A Stage 3 Emergency is declared when demand outpaces available supply," Cal-ISO said in a statement. The order was declared after "extreme heat drove up electricity demand across California, causing the ISO to dip into its operating reserves for supply to cover demand."
"Although a Stage Emergency is a significant inconvenience to those affected by rotating power interruptions, it is preferable to manage an emergency with controlled measures rather than let it cause widespread and more prolonged disruption," Cal-ISO said.
A Flex Alert was issued earlier in the day, urging residents statewide to conserve electricity between 3 and 10 p.m. to avoid overloading the power system.
According to CAL-ISO, the state's available capacity for Saturday was hovering at a little above 50,000 megawatts, with peak demand expected to be 46,372 megawatts. According to
Cal-ISO offered a series of tips, including:
- Turning off unnecessary lights
- Using major appliances before 3 p.m. and after 10 p.m.
- Setting air conditioner thermostats to 78 degrees or higher
- Using fans
- Keeping drapes drawn