California faces the grim prospect of a drought-fueled summer of power shortages, hydroelectric plant shutdowns and rising electricity costs in areas that include the service territories of PG&E and other utilities, a report released Friday warns.
The drought could deplete big reservoirs in California such as Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville to the extent that the hydroelectric plants at those sites might have to suspend operations, according to the new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, or EIA.
The forbidding electricity scenarios have surfaced due to an alarming drop in water levels at reservoirs throughout California, including the ones with hydroelectric plants.
