What is an Energy Emergency Alert and what do the different levels mean?

Gov. Newsom addresses power grid concerns

Newsom commended Californians for heeding the warning and dropping power use after a mobile text alert was sent to millions Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES - A brutal heat wave brought California to the verge of ordering rolling blackouts but the state’s electrical grid managed to handle record-breaking demand.

The state’s 39 million people were warned Tuesday that demand — some of it from people cranking up the air conditioning — might outstrip supply as temperatures in many areas soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which oversees the electrical grid, issued a Stage 3 emergency power alert — one step below ordering utilities to start rotating outages to ease the strain on the system. The move allowed it to draw on emergency power sources.

According to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the alert was sent to 27 million phones and within 45 minutes the state saw a roughly 2,600-megawatt reduction in usage.

What is an Energy Emergency Alert?

When an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) has been declared, it's to help the grid secure more supplies and urge market participants to lower demand on the system.

The alert means the state's power grid manager is requesting emergency supplies from all resources to meet what is expected to be a historic demand for electricity.

The EEA has three levels, with the third being its highest.

Who issues the alert?

The California Independent System Operator (Cal ISO) is in charge of the state's power grid.

The grid operator decides when and where conservation will be helpful in reducing the strain on the power grid

Grid operators monitor a host of factors including wildfires and generator availability to determine the emergency notifications and what levels they are going to be classified (EEA 1, EEA 2, or EEA 3).

What are the different levels?

EEA 1: Real-time analysis shows all resources are in use or committed for use, and energy deficiencies are expected. Market participants are encouraged to offer supplemental energy and ancillary service bids. Consumers are encouraged to conserve energy.

EEA 2: ISO requests emergency energy from all resources and has activated its emergency demand response program. Consumers are urged to conserve energy to help preserve grid reliability.

EEA 3: This is the level where rolling blackouts can be ordered. ISO is unable to meet minimum Contingency Reserve requirements and controlled power curtailments are imminent or in progress according to each utility’s emergency plan. Maximum conservation by consumers requested

Tuesday was the first time an Energy Emergency Alert 3 was issued since a heat wave began affecting large parts of the state last week — although calls for conservation known as Flex Alerts had been issued every day since Aug. 31.

Is it the same as Flex Alert?

A Flex Alert is a call to consumers to voluntarily cut back on electricity and shift electricity use to off-peak hours (normally after 9 p.m.). As part of an educational and emergency alert program, Flex Alerts inform consumers about how and when to conserve electricity.

A Flex Alert is typically issued in the summer when extremely hot weather drives up electricity use, making the available power supply scarce. This usually happens in the evening hours when renewable energy resources are no longer available, but temperatures remain high and consumers are returning home and switching on air conditioners, lights, and appliances.

Other contributing factors include: