Hrm looks like I beat Sean Donelan...
http://www.caiso.com/awe/systemstatus.html
http://www.caiso.com/outlook.html
Is it time for a rolling blackout again?
Cal-ISO issues a "Stage 2" emergency.
Next targeted blackout block(s): 1.
The official word from NERC (North American Eletric Reliability Council):
"Generating resources are expected to be adequate to meet projected demand
for electricity in North America this summer. However, southwestern
Connecticut and southern Nevada are areas of concern. Transmission
limitations into southwestern Connecticut and tight capacity margins in
southern Nevada make these areas particularly susceptible to reliability
problems associated with delays in the installation of new resources,
lower than expected generating unit availability, or extreme weather."
In other news, the Tosco/Phillips 66 refinery in Contra Costa County
California had another accident today.
I see Sean replying down below, but I'm going to virtually beat
both of you.
Depressed economy==collapsed corrupt energy traders==power availability liars==
plenty of power in CA.
Regards,
Yo Martin!
If there is plenty of power in CA then howcum there was a "stage 2" alert
yesterday and a "market alert today"? Today's "projected demand" equaled
"available resources" today If demand played out as expected there
would have been big trouble in CA today.
A lot of data surrounding the Enron collapse suggests that power traders
artificially manipulated CA's power market, and also suggests that a lot of the
previous summers warnings of power problems were also artificially created.
All over the country, building of "extra" capacity has slowed. Some due to new
sources that came online, some due to the fact that a decrease in power was
realized as a result of the falloff in the economy.
Could it be that CA is experiencing a normal surge in power utilization and
the warning is part of a normal cycle?
Regards,
Increased power demands from all the paper shredders? 
I hesitate to respond to this, but the power problems are discussed often
enough here that it's almost "on topic..."
Last summer, on one of the rolling blackout days, one of our intrepid news
stations in San Diego went down to interview one of our independent power
plant operators. They were standing next to an idle generating plant, and
the interview went something like this:
Reporter: So, how many generators do you have at this plant?
Operator: 3
R: How many do you have operating today?
O: Just one.
R: REALLY? But we had rolling blackouts all through San Diego County
today, why aren't you operating all 3 generators?
O: Because Cal-ISO told me to turn off #2, and not to turn #3 on at all.
They went on to talk about all sorts of numbers, that basically added up
to just one of those generators could have supplied the difference between
supply and demand that day. They never did get a straight answer from
Cal-ISO about why they requested that operator to turn his generator(s)
off, but the obvious implication was that something was rotten in
Denm^WCalifornia.
Doug
Doug Barton:
[deletia]
Reporter: So, how many generators do you have at this plant?
Operator: 3
R: How many do you have operating today?
O: Just one.
R: REALLY? But we had rolling blackouts all through San Diego County
today, why aren't you operating all 3 generators?
O: Because Cal-ISO told me to turn off #2, and not to turn #3
on at all.
[deletia]
Doug
Let's assume this is true (not arguing it isn't). Why don't
accusations like this trigger the media beast's radar? It
might be a needed diversion from the impending L.A. riots.
More likely, theyre trying to CYA!