Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Saturday that will free up additional energy capacity for the state's power grid in response to the heat wave in the Golden State and the growing wildfire in southern Oregon that is impacting transmission lines used to import energy to California.
Newsom's order will allow the emergency use of auxiliary ship engines to relieve pressure on California's electric grid. This follows his emergency proclamation Friday which suspends certain permitting requirements to enable to use of backup power generation.
The state is halfway through the Flex Alert Saturday evening, the California Independent System Operator's (Cal ISO) request for California residents and businesses to "flex their power" by conserving as much electricity as possible between 4 and 9 p.m.
Earlier this week, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services deployed firefighting equipment and personnel to Oregon through the Emergency
Management Assistance Compact to assist in the response to the Bootleg Fire. Newsom's office said that since last summer, the state's energy agencies have taken swift action to ensure grid reliability this summer and for the future in order to build California's climate resilience.
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