SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With a fourth straight Flex Alert in effect for Saturday, the manager of California’s stressed electricity grid expressed confidence Saturday that the state could avoid rotating blackouts but acknowledged the massive heat wave has left California with little margin for error.
Elliot Mainzer, chief executive of the California Independent System Operator, said voluntary conservation efforts the past three nights had helped steer California away from rolling blackouts so far. He also credited an emergency proclamation by Gov. Gavin Newsom, which temporarily waived some environmental rules to allow more backup generators to kick in.
But Mainzer, speaking at a press briefing at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, warned that with temperatures continuing to rise, “those last few days are likely to be a dress rehearsal for what’s going to be much more significant stress ... as we get into the heart of the weekend.”
