Blackouts needless, PUC probe concludes- Study unsure if power withheld intentionally

SF Chronicle ^ | 9/18/02 | Mark Martin

[randita]

Sacramento -- California power plants that were up and running during the energy crisis could have squeezed out enough additional electricity to avoid most of the rolling blackouts that darkened the state and led to record rate increases, according to a report by state regulators.

[randita]

Delusion is a mental disorder.

[trebb]

Heck, why does California need electric power? They have an unending supply of lunacy to keep them going..

[norton]

"They have an unending supply of lunacy to keep them going.."

Yeah, but it's hard to keep them going the right direction on the treadmill.

[meyer]

I'm suspicious of anything that involves power in California. I have no doubt that there was power that could be "squeezed out" of some plants in the state. And, there's a very good reason for that; All utilities are required to have reserve capacity available at all times - even in power emergencies such as this. The reason is simple: if any large generating unit or transmission line trips off line, there absolutely MUST be enough reserve to pick up the slack. The alternative would likely be cascading blackouts that would quickly consume a large portion of the grid. The likely effects would be greater under California's ISO scheme since it is politically motivated rather than reliability-oriented.

A secondary reason that may play into this situation is that there are often EPA-mandated limitations on generating units that prevent them from being operated at their peak capability. I know of a couple of plants in Ohio that were limited, even in emergencies, from producing at full output. That was a real shame since at least one of these units was a very cost-efficient generator.

There's a third reason that there might have been a small amount of power available: Nobody was willing to pay for it. Depending on state regulations, some independent power producers may not be required to assist in emergencies. It depends not only on regulations but also on contractural agreements between the producer and the buyer.

[cake_crumb]

Misleading article. It's blamine Davis' stupidity on power companies, rather than on the Stupid One himself. Don't forget, there's an election coming up, and Simon is gaining in the polls.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

You got that just right!

I am upset with the Orange county Register. They picked up this story and embellished with graphics and had it on the Front Page and page 3, supposedly written by one of their writers. If it hasn't been posted perhaps I will post it later this evening! Might have something additional in it!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

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