Report warns of electricity woes

Report warns of electricity woes

Oct 24 (The Associated Press)

THE NEWS: A report by the California Energy Commission says Southern California could see severe electricity shortages as early as summer 2006 and Northern California could follow two years later.

WHY?: The state's transmission system needs major repairs and upgrades; its fleet of aging power plants are on the brink of retirement and new plants aren't being built fast enough. Also, Southern California's electricity use has grown 6 percent since last year _ an increase three times higher than what was expected.

THE TO-DO LIST: To encourage conservation, the commission recommends rolling out "real-time" pricing so electricity users pay more for power when supplies are tightest. Commissioners also want state regulators to loosen restrictions on the one- to five-year contracts utilities have with independent generators. Streamlining the process for upgrading the transmission system is also recommended.

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