California braces for rolling blackouts amid 'extraordinary heat event,' PG&E warns 500k customers [View all]

[ItsjustMe]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/california-braces-for-rolling-blackouts-amid-extraordinary-heat-event-pg-e-warns-500k-customers-of-potential-outages/ar-AA11w8I6?ocid=winp2sv1plustaskbar&cvid=417a5d8f494c41dab463737373358324

Record-breaking temperatures were forecast to drive historic power demands in California on Tuesday, straining the electrical grid and making rotating outages increasingly likely, authorities said.

Over 500,000 customers in California were given advanced notice to prepare for potential rotating outages, often called rolling blackouts, by Tuesday afternoon, Pacific Gas and Electric said. Hours later, California's electric grid operator issued Level 3 energy emergency alerts across the state, with imminent rolling blackouts "very possible," the grid operator said.

Elliot Mainzer, CEO of the California Independent System Operator, said the "extraordinary heat event we are experiencing" makes it essential that homes and businesses reduce energy use after 4 p.m. That means not using major appliances and setting thermostats at 78 degrees or higher.