FOLSOM, Calif. - California broke its day-old electricity record Tuesday and officials predicted the latest mark wouldn’t last more than a day or two as temperatures soared toward triple digits in northern California.
The California Independent System Operator (news - web sites) forecast there will be enough power to meet high demand the next two weeks, avoiding a repeat of power outages that rolled across the state three years ago. The highest demand, 44,330 megawatts, came at 4:26 p.m. — the same time as the record the day before, 44,042 megawatts, which eclipsed a mark set four years ago, the ISO said. “It’s almost a sure bet we’re going to top that Thursday,” said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle. Since the energy crisis of 2001, more than 7,200 megawatts of additional power are being produced at new plants, McCorkle said. A megawatt is enough electricity to power 750 homes for a year. Rising temperatures across inland parts of the state have prompted the ISO to ask consumers to conserve energy.
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