Energy consumption in California is at an all time high and the demand continues to increase. The City of Santa Clara's electric utility, Silicon Valley Power (SVP), has an adequate supply for local needs, but energy supply shortages and transmission system constraints in other parts of the Bay Area and the state can affect power to all California electric customers.

To help utility and their customers take positive action to avoid rolling blackouts during periods of extremely high power use, a three-stage emergency notification system has been developed by the California Independent System Operator (ISO) to inform all utilities and the public of an impending problem.

• Stage 1 - Voluntarily reduce energy use throughout the day. A Stage 1 alert means that electricity reserves in the state have fallen below 7%, possibly because of isolated generation outages, projected high temperatures that create a high demand for electricity, or breaks or other trouble that could limit transmission capability. There should not be an interruption of service to customers in a Stage 1 alert.
• Stage 2 - Customers who have special interruptible rate contracts are mandated to have service interrupted in order to avoid more severe conditions. A Stage 2 alert indicates that electricity reserves in the state have fallen below 5% and protective actions are required by the (ISO).
• Stage 3 - Mandatory curtailments are exercised and controlled rolling blackouts may be used to maintain system stability. This level of alert is the most severe and signals that electricity reserves in the state have fallen below 1.5%. Substantial voluntary reductions in loads from customers may shorten the severity and duration of utility controlled rolling blackouts.

When Silicon Valley Power is notified by the ISO of an alert, every effort is made to contact large energy users directly and to use the news media to encourage everyone in the area to reduce their use of electricity. The more customers take positive action, the more likely it is the region can avoid rolling blackouts.

The concern about energy reserves will continue until new transmission systems are installed in Silicon Valley and new generation facilities are built throughout the state. In the meantime, responsive action to the call for voluntary reductions in energy use will be needed to cope with periods of high demand.

For more specifics about what to do in the event of a power shortage emergency, call 244-SAVE.