California Independent System Operator

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Patrick Dorinson April 2, 2001 Director of Communications 1 (888) 516-NEWS

STAGE TWO ELECTRICAL EMERGENCY TRIGGERED BY DOWNED TRANSMISSION TOWERS AND SUPPLY SHORTAGE

California ISO Strongly Urges Conservation

(Folsom, CA) The California Independent System Operator (California ISO) issued a Stage Two Emergency at 8:40 a.m. today, April 2, 2001, as operating reserves dipped below five percent. A number of factors are contributing to the emergency conditions today: „ „ Around 3,000 megawatts of capacity lost on the 500 kilovolt Pacific DC Intertie, a high-voltage, long-distance transmission link between Northern Oregon and Southern California. „ „ A total of 12,948 megawatts worth of generation remains unavailable today with power plants off-line because of preventative repairs and plant malfunctions. „ „ A loss of imports from the Northwest, which started out the day at 2,400 megawatts, but are now running at 1,700 megawatts. „ „ An additional 3,000 megawatts of generation from the state’s qualifying facilities (QFs) unavailable due to continuing financial concerns. With operating reserves hovering at critical levels, the California ISO requests that customers voluntarily reduce their use of electricity to prevent more severe curtailment measures. Peak demand on the transmission system is expected to reach 29,119 megawatts around 6:00 p.m. today. Today’s Stage Two declaration, expected to be in effect until midnight.

-- PHO (owennos@bigfoot.com), April 02, 2001

Answers

Power Alert Declared in California The Associated Press Monday, April 2, 2001; 3:25 p.m. EDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. –– State power grid officials issued a Stage 2 alert Monday after transmission lines near Los Angeles were downed by high winds, interfering with electricity imported from the Northwest.

The overnight wind damaged seven transmission towers east of Los Angeles, said Stephanie McCorkle, spokeswoman for the Independent System Operator. The lines would have imported 3,000 megawatts of electricity from the Northwest; one megawatt is enough to power about 750 homes.

Also, power plants that would have produced 12,900 megawatts were down for repairs, McCorkle said. Another 3,000 megawatts from alternative energy providers who are owed more than $1 billion by two cash-strapped utilities were also unavailable.

A Stage 2 alert is called when electricity reserves drop or are expected to drop below 5 percent. A Stage 3 alert – called when reserves near 1.5 percent – can lead to rolling blackouts.

© Copyright 2001 The Associated Press

-- PHO (owennos@bigfoot.com), April 02, 2001.

U.S. West Power Line Shut, Calif. Calls Power Alert April 2, 2001 1:32 pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The California Independent System Operator (IS0), which manages most of the state power grid, called a stage two emergency on Monday after a windstorm knocked out a major transmission line from the Pacific Northwest. A windstorm on Sunday evening knocked out six towers on the DC Pacific Intertie, which carries electricity between the United States Pacific Northwest and southern California, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said.

LADWP Bulk Power Director Tom McCarthy said the line was shut down around 6:44 p.m. PDT (9:44 EDT) on Sunday and was expected to return to service in "a week to a week and a half."

The line outage exacerbated an already tight supply situation, forcing the ISO to call the stage two alert, which means power supplies have dipped below five percent of reserve capacity on the grid.

If reserves dip below 1.5 percent then a stage three is declared, raising the possibility that rolling blackouts may be ordered.

There have been rolling blackouts ordered several times this year, mostly recently two weeks ago, as California struggles with a chronic power shortage linked to a failed experiment with deregulation.

Earlier Monday, market sources had said a landslide had knocked out the towers and that the line could return to service later this week.

"It looks like we had some extraordinary winds. I don't think it was a landslide," McCarthy said, noting the fallen towers were located around 141 miles (230 km) north of Los Angeles in California.

McCarthy also noted that one tower had been knocked down at a nearby smaller transmission line which carries power from the Owens Gorge hydropower project to Los Angeles. That line should return to service fairly soon, he added.

The DC line, which has a capacity of around 3,000 megawatts, runs from the Dalles hydropower dam on the Columbia River in Oregon to Los Angeles.

The LADWR, which operates the line, is the nation's largest municipal utility.

http://www.iwon.com/home/news/news_article/0,11746,79847|top|04-02- 2001::14:11|reuters,00.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), April 02, 2001.