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California Warns of Possible Summer Blackouts as Power Runs Low

  • State says energy supplies could be short through 2025
  • California has struggled to keep lights on past two summers
High voltage power lines in Crockett, California.

High voltage power lines in Crockett, California.

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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California energy officials warned the state may be at risk of blackouts for the next three summers due to power supply shortages and extreme weather. 

The state could be short about 1,700 megawatts this summer -- enough power for about 1.3 million homes - and that gap may widen to about 1,800 megawatts by 2025, officials said Friday during a media call. These forecasts don’t include other factors such as extreme regional heat waves or wildfires that can take down power lines, they said.