BASE AWAITS ORDER POWER CUT DEMANDED.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

WASHINGTON - President Clinton has directed that federal agencies and military units in California put electricity-saving programs in place to help ease the state's acute power shortage.

At Edwards Air Force Base, officials said Friday that they had not yet received a copy of the directive and were trying to get more information before commenting on what actions they will take.

Under Clinton's directive, managers of federal buildings and military installations are expected to raise thermostats slightly, shut down escalators and make sure lights are turned off in rooms not in use, Energy Department officials said.

Electricity costs have soared in recent weeks in some parts of the country, including California and the Northeast. There have been sharp price spikes because of high demand and supply problems, although officials in California have capped wholesale prices for peak loads.

In his directive, Clinton also ordered federal power-marketing agencies in the West to ``take all possible steps to maximize the amount of electricity that can be delivered to California.''

``These short-term measures will assist California utilities and consumers in meeting electricity needs during this critical period,'' Clinton said in a statement.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said the state's power problems are a warning that the nation's electricity system must be modernized to meet growing demand and market pressures of an increasingly competitive and deregulated industry.

Richardson said expected electricity savings will be equal to providing power to 500,000 homes.

Richardson chastised Congress for failing to enact a comprehensive bill to restructure the electricity industry before leaving for its summer recess, saying such legislation is needed to ensure electricity reliability and hold down costs.

``The potential power outage situation (in California) should serve as a wake-up call to Congress. Failure to enact restructuring legislation puts the reliability of the electric grid at risk,'' Richardson said in a telephone interview.

Legislation being considered in Congress would create a new organization to monitor and regulate reliability of the nation's electricity grids. The bill has passed the Senate but is considered dead in the House this year.