Summer power supplies still uncertain

Summer power supplies still uncertain

Jun. 22--By Corey Washington, The Business Press, San Bernardino, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

State energy officials expect electric power plants and power grids to be strained this summer because of heavy growth in parts of Southern California, including the Inland Empire.

An already weak power supply and hot weather could mean rolling blackouts this summer and over the next few years, Edison spokesman Gil Alexander said.

"There is a growing number of new homes and businesses connecting to the grid. That also means a growing per-customer use," he said.

A worst-case scenario could mean power outages from grid failure as a result of natural disasters, such as wild fires, combined with high energy demand this summer, Alexander said.

The shortage in power supplies may have an impact this summer, but more likely in the summer of 2006 and years to come, according to the California Independent Systems Operator . The agency is asking users to reduce their energy use to avoid blackouts or grid failure this summer, a release said.

Edison's growth in customers was expected to be 1 percent to 2.5 percent this year, but will exceed that projection, Alexander said. Edison believes the customer base will increase about 4 percent, he said.

The city of Riverside is constructing a second generator to handle peak demand. The Riverside Energy Resource Center will be a twin electric generator capable of producing 96 megawatts, said Bob Gill, principal engineer. The Riverside Energy Resource Center, expected to be operational in January, is being paid for through $82 million in bonds, he said.

Businesses in cities with adequate power supplies are more likely to avoid blackouts than those in cities sharing the Southern California power grid, Gill said.

Inland Empire businesses account for more than half of the electric power consumed by Southern California Edison customers. Edison has 387,000 customers in Riverside County that use 409 million kilowatt hours a year. About 39,000 of its customers are businesses that use 223 million kilowatts , according to a report compiled by the utility last year.

Based on Edison's studies of energy usage, "there appears to be some evidence that our customers are not conserving at the same levels as they did during the energy crisis in 2000 and 2001," Alexander said.

Edison reduced rates 13.5 percent last year, which may contribute to the higher energy use, Alexander said.

To entice customers to conserve energy, Edison is reinstating its 20/20 program. Customers who reduce energy use by a cumulative 20 percent between June and September will receive 20 percent off energy bills in October, said Alexander.

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