California Asks for Conservation to Avoid Outages in Heat
- Heat warnings stretch from Washington to Southern California
- Risk of wildfires remains high in California and Oregon
California energy officials have warned that the state is at risk of energy shortfalls during the hot and dry summer months.
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California is asking homes and businesses to cut back on electricity use Wednesday afternoon as heat grips the West Coast and a years-long drought squeezes the region’s hydroelectric-power supplies.
The state’s main grid operator expects power demand to soar as residents crank air conditioning to cope with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius). The conservation call is scheduled for 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time, according to a Tuesday statement from the California Independent System Operator.