A dome of extreme heat covers California; risk of more fires and power outages

First modification: 09/07/2022 – 00:41

A huge heat dome currently encompasses the western United States, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius and even 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.

After a Monday that already broke the record, the heat wave reached its maximum intensity this Tuesday, September 6. High temperatures are expected to continue until next Saturday, with a significant risk of power outages.

According to the authorities of the state of California, on Tuesday, a peak was reached in energy consumption by the use of air conditioning. Elliot Mainzer, president of the California Independent System Operator (California ISO), which manages the state’s electricity flow, warned that if California has some extra power capacity right now, “blackouts are possible.”

The California state power grid runs on a combination of solar and natural gas power during the day, as well as power imports from other states.

However, for one thing, solar power starts to wane in the late afternoon and evening, and for another, some of the natural gas power plants the state relies on for backup power are relatively old. and unreliable in hot weather. All this now raises fears of power outages.

On Monday, at the request of California ISO, four emergency generators deployed in the cities of Roseville and Yuba City by the Department of Water Resources were activated for the first time since their installation last year, providing up to 120 megawatts; enough energy for 120,000 homes.

The California ISO also called on citizens to keep air conditioners at 25.5 degrees Celsius or higher and avoid using energy-intensive appliances.

So far, these efforts have kept the lights on. “But we have entered the most intense phase of this heat wave,” which could last all week.

Individuals and companies will have to demonstrate a level of conservation two or three times higher, said Mainzer, whose comments were reported by the Associated Press news agency.

In addition to power outages, the risk of more fires

This is not the first time that the state of California has faced these risks. In August 2020, several hundred thousand people lost power during blackouts.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Friday that could allow the state’s last nuclear power plant to operate beyond its planned 2025 shutdown to secure more power.

But the threat of blackouts is not the only consequence of high temperatures and low humidity. The western United States is also facing fires, of which there are already many in California. According to Anale Burlew, deputy chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, over the weekend, four deaths were recorded, while some 4,400 firefighters battled 14 major fires.

The National Weather Service forecast highs of 37.7 to 46.1 degrees Celsius in inland California, and 27 to 37 degrees closer to the coast. The night will not bring much relief, since in many places there will be minimum temperatures between 26.6 and 37.2 degrees Celsius.

Scientists say that climate change has made the west of the North American country warmer and drier in the last three decades. According to the researchers, global warming will continue to make weather conditions more extreme and fires more frequent and destructive.

With AP and Reuters