[Robert357]

Not sure if this provides closure or not, but the Cal ISO had problems for over 4 hours. The question that folks have to ask is if this was a transmission path problem, like the ISO would have you believe, or if it was a reserve problem as implied in the T&D magazine article. If it was a reserve problem that is based on the lack of sufficient reserves for the entire state and not just the portion of the state supported by one transmission path!!!!!

A reserve problem is potentially serious and has implications for this summer.

Based on what todays WECC Daily Report said:

Yesterday/Weekend/Holiday Notable Events:

At 1124 PST on Monday March 29, 2004 the CAISO declared a Restricted Maintenance Operation due to higher than anticipated temperatures and load.

At 1224 the CAISO issued a System Warning due to the high temperatures and load and a loss of resources south of Path 15.

At 1350 the CAISO declared a Stage 1 emergency due to an imminent deficiency in Operating Reserves.

At 2000 the CAISO terminated the Stage 1 emergency, System Warning and Restricted Maintenance Operation.

Stage 2 emergency was not reached and no load was interrupted.

Now what happened according to T&D Magazine:

http://tdworld.com/news/California-power-emergency/

Cal-ISO Declares Stage 1 Emergency; SCE Joins Appeal for Conservation as State Power Reserves Fall Below 7%

Mar 30, 2004 3:17 PM
Southern California Edison

With state power reserves falling below 7% and the region coping with unusually high temperatures for early spring, the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO) and Southern California Edison yesterday urged customers to reduce electricity use to reduce their consumption of electricity.

This urgent conservation appeal followed a Stage 1 Emergency declaration by Cal-ISO, the nonprofit agency that manages most of California's transmission power grid and secures power supplies for most of the state's consumers.

A Stage 1 Emergency is declared whenever the state's power reserves fall below 7%. Yesterday's declaration, in effect from 1:50 p.m. to 8 p.m., was made because of soaring demand for electricity during a sweltering heat wave and the loss of some power plant generation in California.

SCE encouraged all consumers and businesses to reduce their power use at this time by keeping their air conditioning thermostats set no lower than 78 degrees, reducing office lighting, and using nonessential business equipment and home appliances (e.g., clothes washers/dryers, and dishwashers) in the morning or evening when demand for power is lower.

[SierraWasp]

The Demonicrats would LOVE to smear Schwarzenegger with the same tar brush that we smacked Davis with!!!

The Socialista-EnviroWeirdos have deliberately created this shortage in the strongly extreme belief that America in general and CA in particular has too much "cheap" water and power/energy and that their mission is to put a stop to it!!!

When it's so cheap, they can't possibly "control the means of production!!!" This is what they have LIVED FOR and LONGED FOR, ever since the first "Earth Day!" They will torment anyone and everyone until they create what they delite in... A CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE IN AMERICA'S TRADITIONS!!!

It's what their Commonista Professors have taught them! They are causing us all to "reap the whirlwind!" (now that REALLY sucks)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I suspect there is a substantial reserve problem even though their graph above didn't reflect it.

A sign of that is the incredible (I think) bargains for small fluorescent light bulbs to replace the 75 watt bulbs, often used in lamps. Usage is 20 watts , and is discounted by SCE, your price is 99 cents at Albertson's .