Californians Urged to Conserve Power or Risk Blackouts Amid Heat Wave

• July 12, 2021, 5:46 p.m. ET

As Californians person retreated indoors, seeking alleviation from the dangerously precocious temperatures, unit has grown connected the state’s electrical system, with officials present relying connected backup powerfulness and urging radical to conserve vigor oregon hazard rolling blackouts.

Concerns grew implicit the weekend, arsenic the Bootleg Fire successful neighboring Oregon burned crossed a powerfulness enactment corridor, threatening Path 66, a large contributor to the powerfulness grid successful California.

Residents received a statewide “flex alert” connected Monday advising them to conserve arsenic overmuch vigor arsenic imaginable from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The alert encouraged past to acceptable thermostats nary little than 78 degrees and to debar utilizing dishwashers and dryers.

Gov. Gavin Newson besides issued executive orders connected Friday and Saturday that allowed the usage of backup powerfulness generators, and the exigency usage of auxiliary vessel engines, to relieve the state’s dependence connected its powerfulness grid.