South OC Faces Summer Power Shortages

The agency that coordinates California's energy supply said today the state should have adequate amounts of power on hand this summer, though with some risk in San Diego and southern Orange counties due to the ongoing outage of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

The California Independent System Operator, in its summer power forecast, assumed that neither of San Onofre's two reactors would return to service.

The nuclear plant's majority owner, Southern California Edison, had hoped to restart one unit at 70 percent power around June 1. However, recent reports have suggested regulatory approval might not come in time. SONGS has been idle since January 2012 after a small, non-injury leak was discovered in a steam pressure tube.

Cal-ISO's forecast says a possible 2 percent growth in peak demand make the power picture "marginally more challenging" in San Diego and southern Orange counties, but still within planning standards.

Grid reliability could be challenged if heat waves are accompanied by unexpected shutdowns of energy producing plants or if wildfires limit power transmissions, according to the agency.

"We ask consumers to watch for Flex Alerts on TV and radio and conserve electricity to ensure enough power for everyone," said ISO President and CEO Steve Berberich.

"Californians can do their part to help relieve the stress on the system by reducing their electricity use during the afternoon peak created by air conditioning. We thank them in advance for responding when Flex Alerts are issued."

The drought and low water content of the mountain snowpack could limit the productivity of hydroelectric plants, according to the Cal-ISO.

Edison officials said the utility will make several "transmission upgrades" by July 1 as well as putting in place programs over the summer to heighten awareness of conservation.

Edison officials also noted three natural gas-fired plants are expected to be operational in El Segundo, the city of Industry and Coachella Valley, and they will help with demand.

- City News Service