'Cautious optimism': SoCal power grid holding strong amid record heat

We've had some record-breaking heat in southern California this summer, but so far, there have been no dreaded Flex alerts .

KNX News' Karen Adams reports that the state has not needed to call upon its residents to conserve energy since September 2023, partially because California Independent System Operator (ISO) , the company that manages the state's power grid, has stored up enough energy to avoid it.

Mark Rothleder is the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Cal-ISO. He said, "In part, I don't want to get ahead of myself, but since 2022, the state has added a significant amount of new resources."

These energy-saving resources include solar energy and batteries.

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Rothleder is almost certain the grid will hold up during the hottest days of summer in August and September, saying, "Fingers crossed, but it's cautious optimism that we are in a much better state with the resources, our processes, coordination between the state infrastructure, and having additional tools. If and when we do get into emergency or pre-emergency conditions, we don't have to call a Flex alert ."

He says one threat to keeping the lights on here in California is, of course, wildfires .

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