On Wed, 10 Jul 2002, Aditya wrote:

Cal-ISO issues a "Stage 2" emergency. Next targeted blackout block(s): 1.

The official word from NERC (North American Eletric Reliability Council): "Generating resources are expected to be adequate to meet projected demand for electricity in North America this summer. However, southwestern Connecticut and southern Nevada are areas of concern. Transmission limitations into southwestern Connecticut and tight capacity margins in southern Nevada make these areas particularly susceptible to reliability problems associated with delays in the installation of new resources, lower than expected generating unit availability, or extreme weather." http://www.nerc.com/ In other news, the Tosco/Phillips 66 refinery in Contra Costa County California had another accident today. http://www.edis.ca.gov/

Yo Martin! If there is plenty of power in CA then howcum there was a "stage 2" alert yesterday and a "market alert today"? Today's "projected demand" equaled "available resources" today If demand played out as expected there would have been big trouble in CA today. On Thu, 11 Jul 2002, Martin Hannigan wrote:

Depressed economy==collapsed corrupt energy traders==power availability liars== plenty of power in CA.

RGDS GARY --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gary E. Miller Rellim 20340 Empire Blvd, Suite E-3, Bend, OR 97701 gem@rellim.com Tel:+1(541)382-8588 Fax: +1(541)382-8676

On Thu, 11 Jul 2002, Gary E. Miller wrote:

Yo Martin!

If there is plenty of power in CA then howcum there was a "stage 2" alert yesterday and a "market alert today"? Today's "projected demand" equaled "available resources" today If demand played out as expected there would have been big trouble in CA today.

I hesitate to respond to this, but the power problems are discussed often enough here that it's almost "on topic..." Last summer, on one of the rolling blackout days, one of our intrepid news stations in San Diego went down to interview one of our independent power plant operators. They were standing next to an idle generating plant, and the interview went something like this: Reporter: So, how many generators do you have at this plant? Operator: 3 R: How many do you have operating today? O: Just one. R: REALLY? But we had rolling blackouts all through San Diego County today, why aren't you operating all 3 generators? O: Because Cal-ISO told me to turn off #2, and not to turn #3 on at all. They went on to talk about all sorts of numbers, that basically added up to just one of those generators could have supplied the difference between supply and demand that day. They never did get a straight answer from Cal-ISO about why they requested that operator to turn his generator(s) off, but the obvious implication was that something was rotten in Denm^WCalifornia. Doug