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Re: Chickens coming home to roost?? California power grid overwhelmed
Considering the age of many of our power plants, how far behind is the rest
of the country?
>From: RadiumProj@cs.com
>Reply-To: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
>To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
>Subject: Chickens coming home to roost?? California power grid overwhelmed
>Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 09:04:38 -0600 (CST)
>
>Regarding the ongoing thread about need for power, power production
>alternative risks, etc., etc. copied below is an AP story running today
>which reviews the electricity alert declared by California on Thursday.
>This
>article makes for interesting reading. The California regulatory structure
>and assorted environmental activists can now take credit for the various
>conservation measures now being implemented there such as shutting down
>water
>pumps on major distribution lines, shutting off the lights at Intel, and
>getting ready for rolling hourlong blackouts. Chicken little may have
>something to squawk about now, but it's not the theoretical effect of a
>fraction of a milliRem projected 10,000 years in the future from nuclear
>waste storage at Ward Valley or some other aspect of the nuclear fuel
>cycle.
>
>Stewart Farber
>Public Health Sciences
>172 Old Orchard Way
>Warren, VT 05674
>[802] 496-3356
>email: radiumproj@cs.com
>===================
>
>California Declares Power Emergency
>By JOHN HOWARD
>Associated Press Writer
>
> SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California declared an unprecedented
>electricity alert Thursday after its overwhelmed power grid, crippled by
>idled power plants and scant supplies, struggled to meet demand.
>
> Hundreds of companies were ordered to cut back on electricity use,
>but
>there were no immediate "rolling blackouts'' that could affect thousands of
>homes and businesses across the state.
>
> Instead, huge state and federal pumps that move water from Northern
>California to other parts of the state were temporarily shut down to save
>power.
>
> "We're hoping that with these resources we can avoid the
>blackouts,''
>said Lorie O'Donley, a spokeswoman for the Independent System Operator, the
>power grid manager.
>
> Another spokeswoman, Stephanie McCorkle, said the state's first
>Stage
>Three alert, covering 85 percent of California and its 34 million
>residents,
>would remain in effect until 1 a.m. EST. If power reserves are exhausted,
>hourlong blackouts were likely to begin.
>
> California has had isolated blackouts in the past, but never before
>endured controlled, widespread outages ordered by authorities to protect
>the
>state's power grid.
>
> Demand reached 31,600 megawatts Thursday evening, nearly the maximum
>available, and reserves dipped below 1,000 megawatts -- about enough
>electricity for 1 million homes.
>
> The power crunch -- which hit even before winter had begun -- has
>been
>blamed on cold weather in the Northwest, the shutdown of some power plants
>for repairs and the effects of utility deregulation in California.
>
> With supplies of electricity running perilously low, California
>officials declared a Stage Two emergency at 4 a.m. Thursday. It was the
>fourth such declaration in as many days and the eighth in three weeks.
>
> Under the Stage Two emergency, hundreds of companies that had signed
>"interruptible'' service contracts in exchange for huge rebates were
>ordered
>to reduce or shut down their power. Others awaited notification to do
>likewise.
>
> Computer chip manufacturer Intel stood ready to turn off 50 percent
>of
>the lights at its 6,500-employee installation in Folsom.
>
> "If that's not enough, we'll take the lights down 100 percent and
>work
>in the dark,'' Intel spokesman Bill Mueller said.
>
> A Stage Two emergency is declared when power reserves fall -- or are
>expected to fall -- below 5 percent. California had never before had a
>statewide Stage Three emergency, which is declared when reserves fall below
>1.5 percent.
>
> The ISO said a 500-megawatt power plant unexpectedly went down
>Thursday
>afternoon, further stressing the system. The power manager also said
>utilities, which try to buy power at least a day in advance to obtain the
>best possible price, were buying power with just 10 minutes of lead time as
>supplies dwindled.
>
> The alerts are the latest in a series of problems to bedevil
>California's deregulated electricity system.
>
> The phased-in deregulation of California's $20 billion electrical
>power
>industry was supposed to lower prices by creating greater competition. But
>demand for electricity has outstripped supply, in part because of a growing
>population and a booming high-tech economy.
>
> Electricity is also in short supply because energy companies held
>off
>building new power plants while deregulation was in the planning stages. In
>addition, deregulation has forced utilities to sell off their
>power-generating assets, such as dams and plants, and import electricity
>from
>neighboring states, where power demand is high right now because of a cold
>snap.
>
> Earlier this week, energy companies and state officials asked
>Californians to delay turning on their Christmas lights until well after
>nightfall and to keep thermostats set at 68 degrees. After lighting the
>Christmas tree at the state Capitol, Gov. Gray Davis quickly pulled the
>plug
>to conserve energy.
>
> California inspectors have launched surprise inspections of power
>plants that have closed for repairs to see whether the shutdowns were
>deliberate attempts to drive up costs.
>
> Shutdowns were part of the reason that one-quarter of the system's
>capacity was down on Wednesday by 11,000 megawatts, enough to supply 11
>million homes. Of that amount, state officials said, 4,000 megawatts were
>from plant breakdowns.
>
>
>
>
> On the Net:
>
> California Independent System Operator: http://www.caiso.com
>
> California Public Utilities Commission: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov
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