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Cal-ISO Says Power Grid Adequate For Summer

Cal-ISO Says Power Grid Adequate For Summer
Interior Northern California is expected to swelter through the hottest weather of the year so far on Friday and Saturday. But officials say all those running air conditioners won't strain the state’s electricity grid.

You won't be hearing about any "flex alerts" urging you to cut back on electricity use during the hot spell.

"We have plenty of supply on hand and we should be able to weather the hot days," said Steven Greenlee with the California Independent System Operator.

The agency operates the state's electricity grid and decides when and where conservation will be helpful when demand is outpacing supply.

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Greenlee said the state has nearly 60,000 megawatts of generating capacity.

"For this next couple of hot days we probably will still even be under 40,000 megawatts. So we still have plenty of supply that we can call up," Greenlee assured.

Even though the dry winter means hydroelectricity generation will be down and despite the closure of Southern California's San Onofre nuclear power plant, Greenlee said California will have an adequate supply of electricity this summer.