Jun 20, 2008 11:56 pm US/Pacific
Power Companies Working Overtime To Keep A.C. On
NORTH HOLLYWOOD
Along with the record heat comes the usual companions of power surges and power outages.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power repair crews were literally working overtime Saturday to keep electricity flowing to heat-weary customers in the valleys today, as the Southland weathers the tail-end of a heat wave.
Many Valley neighborhoods were already reporting morning temperatures in the high 90s and low 100s.
Last night, as many as 15,000 customers -- mostly in the San Fernando Valley -- were without electrical service, Joe Ramallo of the city-owned
utility said.
Officials attributed the problems to the system being overloaded.
As of Saturday morning at 9:30, "nearly all" customers of the DWP have power, according to a spokesperson.
The DWP is gearing up for an infrastructure overhaul.
Outages were also reported Friday in Hancock Park, El Segundo, Tujunga and Granada Hills.
Demand for electricity peaked at 3:13 p.m., with 6,053 megawatts flowing
during that time.
Southern California Edison, which supplies most areas outside of Los
Angeles, reported no outages yesterday afternoon, Paul Klein of SCE said.
At one point, he said, demand hit 22,000 megawatts.
People are being asked to conserve energy by saving high-electricity-demand jobs, such as clothes washing and drying, for off-peak hours -- in the early morning or at night.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
