"California energy officials said Friday that an extremely hot summer, combined with constrained supplies, could lead to a repeat of 2020 statewide electricity outages.

“If all those things were to occur, there is real potential for potential outages and we have to be prepared for that,” said Mark Rothleder chief operating officer for the California Independent System Operator, the nonprofit that manages the electric grid for about 80 percent of the state.

Working on a traditional 1-in-10 forecast, state officials said the electric system could find itself 1,700 megawatts short of needed capacity in the coming months. Using rough calculations by the California Energy Commission, 1,700 megawatts is enough to power about 1.3 million homes. And in the event of extreme weather and wildfires, the shortfall could reach between 4,000 megawatts and 5,000 megawatts.

“In general, we do have enough power to supply the system, but we have to have enough power for any event that might hit us,” said Alice Reynolds, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, known as the CPUC for short. Last summer, the state’s grid was pushed to its limits after a major transmission line in the Pacific Northwest went out of service due to a massive fire in Oregon, interrupting electricity deliveries to California."

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/story/2022-05-06/california-energy-officials-warn-of-potential-summer-blackouts