March 15, 2001

BPA cuts off power to California to protect salmon runs

- More blackouts could be on the way for California.

The state imposed a power alert today for the first time in more than a week, after the Bonneville Power Admistration said it was cutting back on it's electricity exports.

That action forced California's Independent System Operator to declare a Stage Two Alert. More than a thousand megawatts of power previously provided from the northwest forced power reserves to dip below 5 percent.

The BPA had been generating between 600 and 1,000 megawatts an hour of surplus power for California while water was easily flowing through northwest electricity generating dams.

With an drought pending, it's become critical to keep water flowing over northwest dams to protect salmon migrating down the Columbia River.

The BPA cut off the shipments this morning after warning California officials the salmon runs had been protected and it was time to start refilling reservoirs to meet expected spring and summer demands.

http://www.katu.com/news/news_story.asp?ID=9286

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), March 16, 2001