In this wacky energy year in California, the state-charteredelectricity transmission grid operator, Cal-ISO, Tuesday upstagedone of the hit holiday movies by releasing its own version of Dr.Seuss’ classic “The Grinch That Stole Christmas.” The state’snonprofit traffic cop for electrons shocked Californians with arequest that they cutback on their use of holiday lights,restricting their use to nonpeak hours.

Even though it is almost winter, a time of traditionally lowelectricity demand that can more than accommodate the state’sestimated added 1,000 MW of power needed for decorative lighting,Cal-ISO already this week declared power alerts Monday and Tuesdaybecause generation reserves dipped under 7%. Projections call forthe state’s peak demand to exceed the cold weather record near35,000 MW at least one day this week.

“More than 11,000 MW of generation remain off-line, the majoritycategorized as forced outages,” said the Cal-ISO in a newsannouncement Tuesday morning. “Included is a substantial amount ofpower plant production shut down because of expired air emissioncredits. Additional, the thin supply picture is exacerbated by asudden drop in imported power from the Northwest.”

A Cal-ISO spokesman said about 2,400 MW of generation is out ofservice in Orange County because of expired air emissions credits.He said the air quality board was working with generators to getexemptions from credit requirement. He added that power importsfrom the Pacific Northwest were cut in half on Tuesday.

A Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokesperson said that four daysof planned maintenance on one of its Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plantunits, scheduled to begin last weekend, was postponed until thisweekend and will be shortened to only include two days.

Among a list of “conservation tips” suggested by the Cal-ISO andCalifornia’s three major investor-owned electric utilities was”delaying start-up of outdoor holiday lighting until 7 p.m. whenconsumption of power begins tapering off (for other uses).”

To show that it hasn’t lost all of its “spirit” for the season,the state power operator’s suggested lighting delay apparently onlyapplied Tuesday. “We’ll take it on a day-by-day basis,” a Cal-ISOspokesperson said, meaning that people need not douse their holidaylights automatically when a Stage One power alert is declared,which has been frequent this fall so far. Consumers can wait forfurther instructions from Cal-ISO.

There was no report on what the populous in “Whoville” thinks ofthe Cal-ISO’s latest pronouncement, but Santa Claus is reportedlypreparing to curtail some of his stops for lack of sufficientlighting to guide his sleigh.

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