Rolling Blackouts Not Likely Wednesday, California ISO Says; Flex Alert Still In Place

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Conservation, imported energy and wind production helped California avoid more rolling blackouts Wednesday afternoon.

After warnings of potential outages from PG&E as several wildfires and excessive heat continue to hit the state, the California Independent System Operator said no power outages are anticipated for Wednesday night.

California ISO said the flex alert issued for Wednesday would last from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. as officials call on consumers to use less energy.

PG&E spokesperson Brandi Merlo said at around 1 p.m. that there was still potential for more rolling blackouts within that timeframe.

The state was able to avoid rolling outages on both Monday and Tuesday but utilities and state officials are still calling on consumers to conserve energy usage through the end of the week. The National Weather Service said it may take until the weekend until the heatwave and warnings begin to ease.

California ISO advises consumers to refrain from using major appliances during the flex alert to help relieve the grid from strain.

Hundreds of thousands of customers throughout the state experienced outages as triple-digit heat experienced in places like the Northern California region continue to roll through and spark up energy usage.

In:
• Pacific Gas and Electric Company
• Heat Wave