For Immediate Release: September 3, 2020

BANC Successfully Meets August Heatwave Challenges; Supports CAISO

The Balancing Authority of Northern California (BANC) and its participants successfully navigated the potential impacts posed by the recent heatwave of August 14 through 19. BANC and its participants were challenged throughout the period to meet peak load demands due to the high temperatures in the region but did not have to implement any planned power disruptions. Through good operating practices, coordination among the member and participant utilities and the interfacing balancing authorities, proactive energy procurement, and customer energy conservation, BANC was able to keep the power flowing to millions of people in Northern California.

Additionally, BANC and its members were able to support the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) during its most needy hours of the heatwave period with both requested emergency assistance (about 1,600 megawatt-hours) and wholesale market sales (about 14,000 megawatt-hours) for a total of about 16,000 megawatt-hours during the 6-day period. As an adjacent balancing authority, BANC is proud to be able to assist the CAISO in maintaining grid reliability just as the CAISO has assisted BANC in past emergency situations.

BANC is responsible for operational resource plans, continuously matching load and generation, monitoring power line loads, and coordinating with neighboring balancing authorities including the Bonneville Power Administration, the CAISO and Turlock Irrigation District.

BANC is an independent balancing authority within the western electricity power grid. By controlling its own system, BANC is not required to participate in rotating outages that might be required of California utilities, which are located in other balancing authority areas. BANC will initiate rotating outages only in the event of a major equipment failure or transmission loss, caused by something such as a large fire. BANC continues to support the statewide electricity grid when requested and surplus resources are available.

About BANC

BANC is a joint powers authority that is the third largest balancing authority in California and the 16th largest within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. Participants in BANC include its members (Modesto Irrigation District; Cities of Redding, Roseville, and Shasta Lake; Sacramento Municipal Utility District; and Trinity Public Utilities District) and the Western Area Power Administration – Sierra Nevada Region.

BANC began operations in May 2011. BANC’s footprint currently extends from the Oregon border to Modesto and from Sacramento to the Sierra and includes the Western Area Power Administration's transmission grid and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations' generation resources in California. BANC includes the California-Oregon Transmission Project (COTP), as well as the systems of its members. For more information, visit thebanc.org.