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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (64476)	4/18/2006 12:00:09 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 361441

Higher temps lead to rolling blackouts Residents urged to limit electricity use 06:48 PM CDT on Monday, April 17, 2006 By ELIZABETH SOUDER / The Dallas Morning News Texas experienced rolling blackouts on Monday as folks turned on their air conditioners when temperatures rose. The problem is that many power generators shut down in April for maintenance. So the supply of electricity can't meet the unexpected demand that the heat caused. Around 6:30 p.m., the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. lifted the emergency, saying the situation has improved and electricity operations across the state are back to normal. ERCOT is also calling on Texans to cut electricity use to only essential needs. The council, which operates the state's electricity grid, also called on transmission companies, like TXU Electric Delivery, to temporarily cut off electricity to neighborhoods on a rolling basis. The transmission companies won't cut off critical customers, like hospitals or nursing homes, said ERCOT spokesman Paul Wattles. He said it's been a few years since Texas initiated rolling blackouts. Carol Peters, a spokeswoman for TXU Electric Delivery, said the company is rotating blackouts 15 minutes at a time. The company, which operates power lines, cuts off power to residential areas first, then businesses, and screens out hospitals. That means a Texas household might experience a 15-minute blackout, then power would be restored. Power line operators like TXU will continue to cycle through their customers until ERCOT says the emergency is over. "With the temperatures as high as they are, there's a lot of demand on the system, it's an emergency situation at ERCOT," said Ms. Peters. "This is a planned procedure in response to an emergency. It's a normal response to an abnormal situation." Going to be an interesting summer. dallasnews.com [ Parent \| Reply to This ] theoildrum.com