Weather & Science
Increasingly Wild Weather Worries California’s Grid Operator
- Power demand hard to predict in era of extreme weather events
- Natural gas still needed on grid, operator’s CEO says
High voltage power lines in Crockett, California.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Extreme weather events that strike with increasing frequency — from record heat waves to floods and damaging storms — are making it harder for electric systems to plan for the future, according to the head of California’s grid operator.
That means California will still need natural gas plants and nuclear energy for the immediate future as it races to ramp up renewable power, said Elliot Mainzer, chief executive officer of the California Independent System Operator.