SAN FRANCISCO – (INT) – Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric and Pacific Gas and Electric are being ordered to shop around for supplemental electricity as a hedge against rotating power outages in times of intense summer heat.

The California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) order Thursday comes in the wake of outages last summer and could reoccur this year in the event of change-driven extreme weather events.

In mid-August 2020, the western U.S. experienced an unprecedented, prolonged heat wave that ultimately required the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to initiate rotating power outages to prevent sustained, wide-spread service interruptions.

The order calls for immediate utility procurement of new generation resources.

Story Date: February 24, 2021