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24 July 2006 -- The California Independent System Operator Corp.n (California ISO) issued a Stage Two Emergency at 1:00 p.m. today, July 24, 2006 with operating reserves forecast to dip below five percent over today's peak. Large commercial customers that have contracted with the utilities to curtail power during high demand days have been asked to do so. If an operating reserve of less than one-and-a-half percent is unavoidable, a Stage Three will be initiated. Involuntary curtailments of service to customers including "rotating blackouts" are possible during this stage of emergency declaration.
Previously, the California ISO issued a Stage One Emergency at 10:00 a.m. today, July 24, 2006. The peak power demand on the transmission system is expected to reach 52,000 MW around 4:00 p.m. This morning's electricity demand is trending nearly 3,000 MW over the record demand experienced last Friday, July 21. Friday's peak of 49,036 MW set a new record for electricity usage for the state, breaking the old record by 2,500 MW.
Thus far, the California ISO has served this record demand, but it has been with some difficulty and challenges. The ISO said the amount of conservation received during the peak periods has made a tremendous difference and the ISO wanted to express its appreciation. However, the organization said additional conservation is critical if the ISO and the state's utilities are to continue service.
It also issued this warning: if Californians do not step up their conservation efforts during peak demand considerably, rotating outages are possible.
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