With the West Coast drenched in sweltering heat, officials in California Monday declared a power emergency.
Temperatures have soared in recent days, pushing up to the 110-degree mark and pushing the state’s electrical grid past its limits.
Officials noted electricity is being consumed at a rate not seen since 2017. Elliot Mainzer, C.E.O. of the California Independent System Operator, intimated that the power could be cut for residents at intervals.
“Rotating outages are a possibility today," Mainzer said Monday morning. "We are now moving into the extreme part of this heat wave. If voluntary conservation measures fall short Monday, CaISO will declare a level-two grid emergency.”
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The news comes as residents have had to increase their energy consumption to stay cool and weather the dangerous and historic heat levels across the state.
Labor Day saw two Emergency Energy Alerts issued statewide, a level 1 and a level 2, and Tuesday brought a Flex Alert for a seventh straight day.
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