A group of homeowners, fearing a storm could knock down nearby power lines and ignite wildfires, was asking the Oregon utility to turn off their electricity. It’s clear it’s impacting how we do our business.”Across the United States, power companies are scrambling to keep up with a barrage of extreme weather from a rapidly warming climate. A desperate tactic pioneered in California, utilities intentionally shutting off power lines to avoid starting fires, has now spread to Oregon and Nevada. On Wednesday, California’s grid operator asked the state’s 39 million residents to conserve electricity or face rolling power outages, the sixth time it has done so this summer. The Texas power grid operator has forecast that demand will reach a record high over the next week as a heat dome bakes the state.

Source: International New York Times July 29, 2021 18:45 UTC