The six-turbine Edward Hyatt Power Plant was taken offline yesterday, because of the low water level in the reservoir behind the Oroville Dam. The water is at about one-quarter its normal level, and this is the first shutdown of the power plant since it opened in 1967. California has depended on hydro-power for about 15% of electricity consumption in recent years. The Oroville Dam is the tallest in the U.S.
State authorities say they expected the Oroville shutdown, and made contingency arrangements, but California depends on its electricity imports, and has shut one of its two nuclear plants, so that its contingencies are automatically unreliable. National Electricity Reliability Corporation (NERC) has California at the top of the list for likely power outages between June and September this summer.
