California scrambling to stave off summer blackouts [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

California scrambling to stave off summer blackouts

By Rory Carroll
SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:08am EDT

(Reuters) - California officials responsible for the state's electric grid are scrambling to avoid blackouts in southern California this summer following news that a major nuclear power plant will be offline indefinitely.

The effort to avoid a repeat of the costly power outages that plagued the state in 2000 and 2001 includes bringing old plants back online, commissioning new transmission lines and activating a multipronged emergency response system to cut power demand at peak times.

"We're not forecasting blackouts, but during very hot periods, either a very hot day or an extended heat wave, there are going to be challenges in southern California," said Steven Greenlee, a spokesman for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which manages the power grid that serves 30 million people.

The problem stems from breakdowns at the San Onofre nuclear power plant, located between Los Angeles and San Diego, which normally produces about 8 percent of the state's electricity. The plant's owner, Southern California Edison, announced earlier this month that both reactors at San Onofre would remain offline all summer as investigators determine what caused steam tubes in the plant to show premature wear.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/15/us-usa-california-blackouts-idUSBRE85E0KY20120615