Another Hot Summer Stresses California's Power Grid

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published July 9, 2007 at 8:30 AM PDT

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

Hot weather and the need for energy are putting a strain on California's power grid. Will the heat force black-outs? A spokesman for the state's electricity supply explains the energy forecast for th

Alison St John (Guest Host): It's getting hotter and temperatures inland are soaring to highs well over 100 degrees that make one wince just to think of it and the height of summer heat is still ahead. So far, California's electricity supplies have held out. Air conditioners have kept humming, deep freezes have stayed frozen and the lights are still on.

But last week, California's Independent System Operator urged consumers to conserve energy and last year at this time, in July, Cal-ISO issued a “Stage two” Emergency Alert that resulted in power cuts to four dozen businesses around San Diego.

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Guest

Gregg Fishman, spokesman for Cal-ISO, the California Independent System Operator .