Governor Newsom Takes Action to Increase Energy Capacity Amid Heat Wave and Disruption to Regional Transmission System Due to Oregon Wildfire

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an emergency proclamation to free up additional energy capacity amid a major heat wave and the Bootleg Fire in Southern-Central Oregon, which is currently threatening a regional transmission system and impacting California’s power supply.

The proclamation suspends certain permitting requirements, allowing the use of back-up power generation and freeing up additional energy capacity to help alleviate the heat-induced demands on the state’s energy grid.

In preparation for the extreme temperatures, California energy agencies are calling on individuals and businesses to “flex their power” by reducing energy use this evening from 4:00-9:00 p.m.

Since last summer, the state’s energy agencies have taken swift action to ensure grid reliability – both this summer and into the future – to build the state’s climate resilience. This includes requiring utilities to procure additional energy resources to meet forecasted demand during extreme weather, bringing on additional storage and launching the revamped “Flex Your Power” campaign to help California conserve energy.

The text of the proclamation can be found here.

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