Sweltering temperatures across Southern California prompted calls Monday for electricity customers to reduce their energy use to help reduce strain on a system already weakened by the absence of the troubled Aliso Canyon natural gas storage plant.
Utility companies urged their residential customers to voluntarily delay washing clothes and dishes until bedtime and to keep their thermostats at 78 degrees or higher. In addition, the power companies asked business customers to voluntarily suspend unnecessary daytime operations such as production line work until nightfall.
The so-called flex alert initiated by the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s electric grid for most of the state, was scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“We’re doing everything we can to reduce the load,” said Ronald Nichols, president of Southern California Edison. “It’s something that we’re closely monitoring.”
Nichols said there were a small number of outages Monday of about 10,000 to 20,000 of Edison’s customers, but there was no expectation of forced rolling blackouts.
To help manage available power, Edison and other utilities also initiated other energy saving programs Monday, called “demand response.”
Business and residential customers that enroll in the programs can earn credits on their bills by agreeing to reduce their electricity usage during periods of high electricity use.
The programs tapped for Monday’s high temperatures were largely voluntary, though customers enrolled in some programs can agree to have service interrupted by the utility when electricity use is high.
“We are certainly watching temperatures,” said Lynsey Paulo, a spokeswoman for Pacific Gas & Electric, which asked its customers to save energy even though the higher temperatures were south of its service area. “We are encouraging our customers in Northern California … to prepare for the heat now.”
This round of high temperatures are expected to be short-lived, but it still was a test of how prepared the utilities are to handle summer demand for electricity.
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A DC-10 air tanker drops Phos-Chek, a fire retardant, on the Fish fire in Duarte on June 22.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 2/79
Aja Jasmin spends time with her horse Waldo, who has been evacuated along with 200 other horses to the Fairplex in Pomona because of the San Gabriel Complex fire.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 3/79
Elizabeth Stolz of Duarte reads a book next to her horse Rhiannon at the Fairplex.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 4/79
A fire burns above Spinks Canyon Road in Duarte.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 5/79
A Los Angeles County fire helicopter drops water on the San Gabriel Complex fire above Duarte.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 6/79
Alex Bernardini helps his mother, Regina, move valuables back into their home two days after they were forced to evacuate as the San Gabriel Complex fire burned in the nearby hillsides.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 7/79
Firefighters survey hillside charred by the Fish fire in Duarte.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 8/79
L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Toby Coe feeds carrots to a stray horse awaiting transport to the Fairplex in Pomona. The stallion is believed to belong to Rancho Sierra Bonita, which was forced to quickly evacuate two days ago as the Fish fire burned nearby.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 9/79
A stray horse is tied to a sign on Encanto Parkway in Duarte, awaiting transport to the Fairplex in Pomona. The stallion is believed to belong to Rancho Sierra Bonita, which was forced to quickly evacuate two days ago as the Fish fire burned nearby.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10/79
A flare up from the Fish fire can be seen in the hills abouve Duarte early Wednesday morning.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 11/79
A DC-10 air tanker drops a load of fire retardant as the San Gabriel Complex fire continues to burn in the hills above Monrovia.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 12/79
Sycuan Golden Eagle Hot Shots head into the brush to create a fire break near Spinks Canyon Road in Duarte as the San Gabriel Complex fire continues to burn.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 13/79
The charred remains of a truck are dragged uphill near the Morris reservoir a day after it crashed and started the Reservoir Fire near Azusa.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 14/79
The charred and battered remains of a truck are dragged uphill near the Morris reservoir a day after it crashed and started the Reservoir Fire near Azusa.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 15/79
Macelda Ramos helps her daughters Natalie Ramos, 9 right, and Olivia Ramos, 11, pack their belongings to be driven out from their home on Spinks Canyon Road in Duarte Tuesday as two brush fires burning dangerously close to each other in Duarte and Azusa.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 16/79
Dr Seta Whitby, right, and her husband, Gordon Whitby, watch the progress of the firefight above their home on Spinks Canyon Road in Duarte.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 17/79
An LA County firefighter mops up hotspots on the hillside along 3200 block of Brookridge Rd. on Tuesday in Duarte.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 18/79
A helicopter makes water drops on Spinks Canyon above Duarte on Tuesday as two brush fires burn dangerously close to one another in Duarte and Azusa. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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An LA County firefighting helicopter makes a water drop above Westvale Road as Fish fire burns in Duarte on Tuesday morning.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 20/79
A deer finds shaded spot to rest under a tree along 200 block of Mt. Olive Drive as firefighters continue battle Fish Fire on Tuesday morning in Duarte.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 21/79
A Los Angeles County firefighting helicopter makes a water drop above Westvale Road as the Fish fire burns in the hills above Duarte on Tuesday.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 22/79
Kerry Lawrence waters her lawn on 300 block of Greenback Ave. Lawrence, who has been living in Duarte for 39 years, says she has been through this on four different occassions. Her cars are packed and ready to evacuate if asked.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 23/79
Evacuee Elisa Pirard looks out at the smoke from the Fish fire above Duarte on Tuesday morning. Pirard and her husband, Chuck, spent the night in their motor home at the Red Cross Duarte Community Center Shelter.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 24/79
Liz Reilly, left, talks to fellow evacuees Richard Evans, wife Dorothy and son Richard J. Evans, all of whom spent the night in a Red Cross shelter in Duarte after being forced to flee their homes.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 25/79
U.S. Forest Service firefighters Chris Calomino, left, and Pedro Barba are on fire watch at the 3200 block of Brookridge Road as the Fish fire burns above the hills in Duarte on Tuesday morning.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 26/79
U.S. Forest Sevice firefighter Pedro Barba keeps the hillside wet along Brookridge Road as a wildfire burns above the hills in Duarte on Tuesday morning.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 27/79
Firefighters keep an eye on the flames on a hillside in Duarte as the fast-moving Fish fire continues to burn Tuesday morning.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 28/79
U.S. Forest Service firefighter Mike Aguirre keeps an eye on flames above Brookridge Road in Duarte as the Fish fire burns on Tuesday morning.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 29/79
A firefighter gets some rest Tuesday morning after working overnight on the Fish fire, which is still raging in the hills above Duarte.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 30/79
The Fish fire burns near homes in Bradbury on Monday evening as a Los Angeles County fire helicopter makes a nighttime water drop in a long-exposure image.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 31/79
The Fish fire as seen from Huntington Drive near the site of evacuations in Bradbury on Monday night.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 32/79
Onlookers take pictures of the Fish fire Monday evening off Huntington Drive as the fire burns uphill.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 33/79
The Fish fire burns near homes in Bradbury on Monday evening in this long-exposure image.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 34/79
A Los Angeles County fire engine provides structure defense in Bradbury on Monday night as the Fish fire threatens buildings in the neighborhood.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 35/79
The Fish fire burns above Huntington Drive on Monday evening.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 36/79
An L.A. County inmate fire crew member is outlined by the glow of flames at the Fish fire Monday.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 37/79
The Fish fire threatens homes in Bradbury as a Los Angeles County fire engine performs structure defense Monday evening.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 38/79
A residential street in Bradbury is threatened by the Fish fire as flames threaten the area Monday evening.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 39/79
A Los Angeles County inmate hand crew hikes above a residential neighborhood in Bradbury on Monday evening to battle the Fish fire.
(Stuart Palley / For The Times) 40/79
Los Angeles County firefighters work with prison crews to put out hot spots in the Fish fire burning in the hills above Duarte on Monday.
(Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times) 41/79
Los Angeles County fire fighters prepare to fight the fish fire in Duarte.
(Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times) 42/79
Los Angeles County firefighters rest as the Fish Fire burns behind them Monday afternoo in Duarte.
(Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times) 43/79
Firefighters in the air and on the ground work to control a fire that broke out in Duarte. Daniel Medina, 14, helps load his family’s car with important belongings as flames crested the ridgeline near his house.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 44/79
Sebastian Guzman, 11, and Samantha Karakashyan, 12, evacuate a home on Las Lomas Road as a wildfire that started in Duarte heads in their direction.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 45/79
Connie Tran, 17, holds her dog Snowball as she prepares to evacuate her house on Las Lomas Road.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 46/79
Plumes of smoke frame the Los Angeles skyline from brush fires burning above Duarte and Azusa. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )
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A helicopter joins in the fight against a wildfire that broke out in Duarte.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 48/79
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Duarte residents on Green Bank Avenue watch as firefighters battle a brush fire from the ground and the air.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 50/79
A billboard frames a brush fire burning above Duarte.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 51/79
A fire-fighting plane makes a retardant drop on the Duarte fire at 500 acres with 0% containment. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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A fire-fighting helicopter drops water on the Duarte fire at 500 acres with 0% containment. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Smoke from two fires -- one in Azusa and one in Duarte -- billows above the 210 Freeway on Monday.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 54/79
Smoke is visible from the 210 Freeway as two brush fires burn in Duarte and Azusa.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles TImes) 55/79
With temperatures soaring, crowds flock to the beach on the north side of the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles TImes) 56/79
Guadalupe Esquivel, right, cools off her son Ricardo Esquivel, 4, second from left, and her grandchildren, from left, Jason Guerrero, 3, Alfredo Santos, 5, Kaylee Santos, 2 (partially blocked) and Isabella Esquivel, (back to camera), as they sit inside an inflatable pool at Woodley Park in Van Nuys.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 57/79
Stephanie Wong creates her own shade with an umbrella walking past Disney Hall in downtown Los Angeles on Monday.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 58/79
Ruth Lopez, 13, whips water off her hair as she seeks relief from the heat while playing with cousins in the Memorial Fountain Splash Pad at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 59/79
USC professor Michael Harris holds a bottle of ice water to his head to combat eye strain while he sits in a coffee shop in Palm Springs, where the temperature reached a record high of 122 degrees on Monday.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 60/79
Nece Smith, Lisa Smith and Linda Smith use an umbrella to shade themselves from the sun Monday on Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, where the temperature soared to a record 122 degrees.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 61/79
The exercise area around the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was busy early Monday morning, (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )
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Diont Harp, a worker on a light-rail line, tries to keep cool Monday in downtown Los Angeles as a record-setting heat wave tightens its grip on the Southland. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Two walkers trying to beat the heat with an early stroll cast long shadows Monday morning at the Rose Bowl.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 64/79
Sprinklers offer a bit of relief as Danny Huerta, 23, who just graduated from UC Davis, is home doing wind sprints at the Rose Bowl. Many were trying to get in early-morning workouts to beat the heat on Monday.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 65/79
Firefighters try to stay cool after battling a brush fire in Silver Lake.
(Callaghan O’Hare / Los Angeles Times) 66/79
A firefighter tries to control the flames that broke out in Silver Lake.
(Callaghan O’Hare / Los Angeles Times) 67/79
A helicopter drops water while firefighters work to control a blaze that threatened structures along the 2 Freeway where it meets the 5 Freeway. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
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Area resident Pascual Gutierrez uses a garden hose as he works alongside firefighters battling a blaze that threatened structures along the 2 Freeway where it meets the 5 Freeway.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 69/79
A firefighter turns to observe the brush fire under the 2 Freeway on Rosebud Avenue in Los Angeles on Sunday.
(Dillon Deaton / Los Angeles Times) 70/79
In Silver Lake, a fire at a home quickly spread to brush along the 2 Freeway, prompting firefighters to call for more resources and air support. The freeway was closed in both directions near its terminus in Echo Park.
(Dillon Deaton / Los Angeles Times) 71/79
Robert Aguilar pours water on his head during halftime of a soccer game at the Sepulveda Basin Sports Complex.
(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 72/79
Steve Akerboom of Northridge cools off his dog Christine at the Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
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Richard Saldana, 79, of Norwalk relaxes on a hot but breezy beach day in Alamitos Bay, Long Beach
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 74/79
Michelle Valdez, 19, of Hawthorne enjoys the shade provided by two umbrellas planted in the sand at Alamitos Bay in Long Beach.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 75/79
Jack Amsbry, 18, of Pasadena soaks up a warm beach breeze in Long Beach.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 76/79
Zhang Zhifa and spouse Ding Zunqin, both 75 of Arcadia, enjoy some time at Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 77/79
Jeremy Albucher of Los Feliz cools off with water after playing in a three-on-three pickup basketball game at North Hollywood Park in North Hollywood on Friday.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 78/79
Joseph Cotts of Buena Park looks to pass the ball to a teammate in a three-on-three pickup basketball game at North Hollywood Park in North Hollywood on Friday.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 79/79
David Lone of Reseda relaxes inside his car parked in the shade at Balboa Park in Encino on Friday.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) See the most-read stories in Local News this hour >>
Part of the concern raised by Cal-ISO is that natural gas supplies used as fuel for many power generators in the Los Angeles area may be tight during this heat event because of the inability to access natural gas stored at Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon facility. A well at the storage facility began leaking in October and wasn’t plugged for four months, which led to a moratorium on gas withdrawals.
The California Public Utilities Commission and other state energy agencies have warned that because of the lack of operations at the Aliso Canyon field, the state’s largest natural gas storage facility, Southern California could face blackouts during as many as 14 days this summer.
In May, the commission gave Edison approval to purchase battery storage for electricity to help reduce strain on the electric system. Nichols said Edison plans to have the batteries available next summer, though some could come online as early as the end of this year.
Air quality regulators recently agreed to allow the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to violate pollution rules this summer by burning diesel fuel at three L.A. Basin power plants to prevent blackouts.
ivan.penn@latimes.com
Follow me at @ivanlpenn
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