Millions of Californians Seen Going Dark as Heat Tests Grid
- The rotating outages will last for about an hour at a time
- Temperatures expected to soar to as high as 110 degrees
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As many as 3 million people across California may take turns being plunged into darkness on Monday evening as the state’s grid operator works to keep the region’s power system from collapsing under the strain of one of the worst heat waves in generations.
The outages, which were expected to hit at 6 p.m. in California, would mark the third time in four days that the state’s utilities deliberately cut power to protect a grid that’s been pushed to the brink of failure as people blast their air conditioners and fans to keep cool. The state is facing an electricity shortfall on Monday of about 1.4 gigawatts, the California Independent System Operator said in a statement.