California urges power cuts as demand heads toward record

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Power lines are shown as California consumers prepare for more possible outages following weekend outages to reduce system strain during a brutal heat wave amid the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Carlsbad, California, U.S., Augu

(Reuters) -California's grid operator projected record-breaking power demand on Tuesday and called on consumers to conserve energy for the seventh consecutive day to avoid blackouts amid soaring temperatures.

The California Independent System Operator (ISO) urged residents to cut power use in the late afternoon and early evening as the sun sets and the state's vast supply of solar-generated electricity recedes.

California's week-long run of record-breaking temperatures is projected to continue this week with highs reaching into the 110s Fahrenheit (mid 40s Celsius) in interior parts of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

The ISO forecast demand would peak at 51,590 megawatts (MW) on Tuesday, topping the current record of 50,270 MW in 2006, before sliding to 49,868 MW on Wednesday.

Late on Tuesday morning, solar was supplying about a third of the state's power demand.

"We need a reduction in energy use that is two or three times greater than what we've seen so far as this historic heat wave continues to intensify," Elliot Mainzer, CEO of the ISO, said in a statement.

If demand for power exhausts the grid's electric reserves, the ISO said it would instruct utilities to start imposing rotating outages. It would be the first time the state has taken such a measure since a brutal heat wave in August 2020 forced power cuts over two days to around 800,000 homes and businesses.

U.S. power prices in California and other western states for Tuesday soared to their highest since that 2020 heat wave.

Power prices at the Palo Verde hub in Arizona and SP-15 in Southern California rose to $850 and $505 per megawatt hour, respectively. That was their highest since hitting record highs of $1,311 in Palo Verde and $698 in SP-15 in August 2020 when the ISO last imposed rotating outages.