Albertans were asked for the second evening in a row on Saturday to limit their electricity usage to essential needs only.
According to an alert issued by the Alberta Emergency Management Agency to all cell phones shortly before 7 p.m., a high demand for power during the extreme cold placed the province at a “high risk” of rotating power outages.
“On top of high demand of our own energy generation, Alberta’s grid receives electricity from neighbouring provinces. Extreme weather in Saskatchewan and British Columbia is impacting electricity sharing, which is also a contributing factor to tonight’s grid alert,” Nathan Neudorf, the province’s utilities minister, said in a statement.
“The Alberta Electric System Operator has activated its emergency grid management plan to work with local distribution utilities to avoid potential rolling brownouts.”
A similar request was made of Albertans on Friday, when the Alberta Electric System Operator recorded a new record for power use.
To conserve electricity, Albertans were asked to:
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shut off unnecessary lights and appliances; -
minimize use of space heaters; -
delay use of major power-consuming appliances like washers, dryers and dishwashers as well as electric vehicle chargers and block heaters; -
cook with a microwave, crockpot or toaster oven instead of an electric oven or stove; -
limit use of kitchen and bathroom fans; -
work on a laptop instead of a desktop computer; -
unplug appliances when not in use; and -
close curtains to cover drafty windows.