Posted on 12/14/2004 11:21:00 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO -- Although officials are expressing concern that the energy crisis may return this summer, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Bush administration will stage a ceremony today to mark the easing of a north-south state transmission bottleneck that sparked blackouts three years ago.
Officials on Monday called the project a landmark achievement, but they also disclosed that the Schwarzenegger administration has been forced to adopt dual plans for short- and long-term power development because Californians last summer already hit usage levels projected for 2006.
Consumer groups, who protested Schwarzenegger's rejection of Democrat-sponsored energy legislation earlier this year, said today's ceremony at the state's power-network control center near Sacramento actually signals the Schwarzenegger administration's failure to make progress.
Construction of a third, 84-mile transmission line along infamous "Path 15," between Los Banos and Coalinga in the Central Valley, was kicked off under the previous administration -- that of Gov. Gray Davis, who was recalled last year, partly because of his handling of the 2001 energy crisis.
Frank Maisano, a spokesman for Trans-Elect, one of the companies involved in the joint public-private venture, praised the project as historic and a key model for quickly and efficiently improving electricity networks. Schwarzenegger is scheduled to join U.S. Energy Department Deputy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow at the event today.
The two-way lines together allow power to be transmitted from Northern California and beyond to Southern California if needed, or vice versa, depending on conditions.
However, the improvement, along with construction of several generating plants of varying capacities in recent years, may not be enough to thwart blackouts this summer, officials said.
"We're working with the Governor's Office, the state Public Utilities Commission and the (federal) Energy Commission on a short-term plan," said Gregg Fishman, a spokesman for the California Independent System Operator, the agency that oversees the state's power grid. "Next summer could be problematic."
Even if short-term steps succeed, more remains to be done in coming years on both generating and transmitting power, Fishman said.
Consumer groups said today's ceremony actually demonstrates the Schwarzenegger administration's energy-policy shortcomings. His biggest mistake was vetoing legislation in September that would have revived regulation of the power industry, according to leaders in the Utility Reform Network.
But administration officials said the governor's proposals will solve California's energy woes while retaining the best aspects of deregulation -- an abrupt move in the 1990s that helped spur the energy crisis.
His plan involves the complex tasks of writing new regulations, accelerating the implementation of previously passed legislation and expanding the state's power-industry infrastructure to meet demands, officials said.
IMO, allowing power companies, which are in essence monopolies in the areas they serve, to operate unregulated is insane.
However, the improvement, along with construction of several generating plants of varying capacities in recent years, may not be enough to thwart blackouts this summer, officials said.
Well, the real need for the Path 15 upgrade, in my opinion, is that California has a shortage of generation during the summer and requires substantial amounts of power imported from the Pacific Northwest and the Pacific Southwest over DC transmission lines that go to Southern California.
At certain times when hydro is not producing in Northern California or Diablo Canyon is off-line, the three major AC transmission lines from the Pacific Northwest are not enough to keep the lights on in Northern California and added imported power needs to be shipped to Northern California from the Southern DC interties.
Similarly, if there is a problem with one of the southern DC interties or SONGs is off-line, Southern California may not get enough imported power to meet loads and so a stronger intertie from Northern California is needed.
This is my understanding of what the Path 15 upgrade is mostly about.
Finally, it is nice to know that folks in power realize that there could be blackouts this summer.
This will help move power around, which should prevent some blackouts, but it won't add any new power, of course. New power plants are required and it's hard to get approval in California to build them.
What ever happened to that DC intertie outage scheduled for last summer?
It continues on and on and on.
From the WECC Daily Report..
The CMRC reported the following outages for today:
From 0000-2400 the COI is limited to 4,600 MW north to south and 2,450 MW south to north due to the scheduled outage of the John Day-Big Eddy #2 500-kV line.
From 0000-2400 the PDCI is limited to 1,475 MW north to south and 1,446 MW south to north due to Celilo-Sylmar Poles #3 and #4 not available stand alone but in parallel with Converters #1 & #2.
From 0700-1200 the PDCI is further limited to 0 MW bi-directionally.
From 1200-1400 the PDCI is further limited to 397 MW north to south and 394 MW south to north.
From 0000-2400 the Path 26 is limited to 2,500 MW north to south and 3,000 MW south to north due to area resource limitation (Diablo Canyon #2 unit refueling).
From 0000-2400 the Path 15 is limited to 1,850 MW north to south and 3,450 MW south to north due to area resource limitation (Diablo Canyon #2 unit refueling.
What's that about?
Poles #3 and #4 not available
And what's that about?
What do you mean unregulated?......
Don't know about the Poles, but refueling the nuke at Diablo Canyon is a scheduled event.
We have had one of the wettest Oct/Nov and early Decembers in decades.
There will be no problem with water for generation this summer in N California.
So which officials made the comments below: officials from the media, fired officials from Gray Davis's energy cartel or the current ones?
"However, the improvement, along with construction of several generating plants of varying capacities in recent years, may not be enough to thwart blackouts this summer, officials said."
AB1890
Seems like a direct quote:
said Gregg Fishman, a spokesman for the California Independent System Operator
Thank you.
Are you gonna force us thru the nonending debate on that FAKE deregulation bill?
I am waiting for the Davis apologists to list all the ways Davis expanded energy production...
Not holding my breath, though.
Davis apologists? You need to ping lewislynn.
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