Aug. 2--Tucson Electric Power officials are asking customers to conserve energy to avoid rolling blackouts.

The plea comes after a severe thunderstorm Tuesday damaged a power plant. People in the Tucson area should turn their thermostats up 5 degrees, said Joe Salkowski, a TEP spokesman. "That would provide a significant reduction in energy consumption," he said. Customers should continue to conserve power throughout the week as repairs to the power plant are made. A trench that houses control system cables, which allow access to power, suffered water damage. "We have access to less power than we usually do," Salkowski said. Some repairs were expected to be completed by the end of Wednesday, he said.

If people don't reduce their energy consumption, the demand for energy could outpace the supply and Tucson Electric Power might have to initiate rolling blackouts. That's when power is temporarily shut off to certain customers. Tuesday's storm knocked out power to about 35,000 customers but electricity was restored for most customers by Wednesday morning. Earlier Wednesday morning, another 10,000 customers -- including Raytheon Missile Systems -- lost power, but electricity was restored in about 90 minutes, Salkowski said.