SO, WATT'S GOING ON? HEAT BRINGS BLACKOUTS, PREVIEW OF SUMMER POWER CRISIS.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

A presummer heat wave hit the Southland hard Monday, forcing rolling blackouts and hinting of things to come in the worsening energy crisis.

The hot weather, mixed with dozens of power generators closed for maintenance, caused brief blackouts in communities statewide, including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Oxnard. The generators will be back on line in time for summer, they said, but demand is expected to be much greater as well.

On Monday, power demand rose about 2,000 megawatts higher than grid managers had forecast, according to the California Independent System Operator, which oversees the state power grid.

``We anticipate the following (two) days will be very similar,'' said ISO spokesman Gregory Van Pelt. ``We're that close on the edge.''

The outages, which lasted from about 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., could be a sign of things to come this summer, said Dick Rosenblum, senior vice president for distribution and transmission at Southern California Edison.

``This is certainly consistent with what the ISO has predicted for this summer,'' he said. ``On a very hot day we would have a much higher load, and it would be much worse.''

Highs in the San Fernando Valley reached 96 degrees in Woodland Hills and Chatsworth on Monday, and were expected to repeat today. Temperatures in other cities around Central and Southern California are also expected to reach into the mid-90s, which could bring further outages.

In Southern California, roughly 34,000 commercial, industrial and residential customers of Southern California Edison were affected, said Rosenblum.

Small portions of 40 communities serviced by Edison were hit by the blackouts, including Chino Hills, Calimesa, Tulare, Long Beach, Beverly Hills, Oxnard, Barstow, Fullerton, Blythe, Santa Monica and Montclair, Conroy said.

On Thursday, a high-pressure system over the Southland is expected to subside, allowing the marine layer to cool Los Angeles off and bring temperatures back down into the 80s, according to Stuart Seto, weather specialist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

``It's just clear and hot out there,'' Seto said.

Rolling blackouts are initiated when a reserve shortfall of less than 1.5 percent is unavoidable.

The power supply to customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has been unaffected by the energy crisis that is expected to hit most of the state this summer.

The DWP, which generates its own power, sold about 4,000 megawatts of excess power to other agencies statewide, including 2,600 megawatts to the state power grid, said DWP spokeswoman MaryAnne Pierson.

``It is our policy to sell electricity based on need, and we will continue to do so if it is necessary,'' she said.

But communities that surround the city of Los Angeles, including Calabasas, Ventura County and the Santa Clarita Valley, purchase electricity from Southern California Edison.

The energy giant is one of a handful that supply electricity to most of California that could face blackouts if consumption peaks during extended heat waves this summer.

At a midday press conference in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, Gov. Gray Davis urged Californians to conserve more energy. Davis said blackouts are inevitable this summer unless usage is curtailed.

``My friends, we are in a war with energy companies, mostly from Texas and the Southwest, who are charging us outrageous prices for the cost of electricity,'' Davis said.

``Everyone must do their part so that we can get through this summer without major disruptions.''

Davis announced a plan with corporate building owners and employees in those buildings to cut back on power use by turning off lights and unused equipment after business hours.

The plan, which includes the Building Owners and Managers Association, and Service Employees International Union, is expected to save as much as 23 million kilowatt hours per month.

But that's not expected to make much of a dent in the midday power crunches that are expected to hit the state this summer, when demand is at its highest. Energy saved during the middle of the night can't be saved for use the next day.

Davis also said state office buildings are cutting back, with an average energy savings in February of 20 percent compared with the same period last year.

The state has also developed a Web site for business and residential consumers to get information on energy rebates and other conservation incentives.

Information on the new site, www.flexyourpower.ca.gov/rebates, is also available by calling [phone] during business hours.

POWER PICTURE

Developments in California's energy crisis:

--Power grid operators order rolling blackouts due to warmer than average temperatures and scarce supplies of power. California Independent System Operator officials say several key power plants that normally provide enough power for about 9.4 million homes are off line for presummer maintenance.

--About 200 people show up at a Public Utilities Commission hearing in Santa Monica to ask state regulators for a break from the largest electricity rate increase in state history. The PUC in March approved a rate increase of up to 40 percent for customers of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison. The commission has scheduled 11 public hearings on the issue for around the state, and could implement the hikes as early as next month.

--Democratic lawmakers will have a tough time winning their lawsuit that alleges federal energy regulators aren't controlling soaring electricity prices, legal experts say. Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg and Senate President Pro Tem John Burton say they'll sue the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in federal court next week, claiming the commission is violating federal law by not requiring that electricity costs be ``just and reasonable.''

--The state Senate passed a bill to create a windfall profits tax on electricity prices that top $80 per megawatt hour. The bill passes 25-12. The Assembly Revenue and Tax Committee sends the Appropriations Committee a similar bill that would tax prices above $60 per megawatt hour.

--The state Assembly authorized $13.4 billion in revenue bonds for state power buys.

--State power buyers say they'll draw an additional $500 million from the general fund to buy power for customers of three utilities. That brings the state's power-buying tab to $6.7 billion since mid-January.

--The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves a pipeline expansion that is expected to provide an additional 230 million cubic feet of natural gas to Southwest markets, including California. The El Paso Natural Gas Co. plans to convert 785 miles of an existing pipeline that now carries crude oil so that it will carry natural gas to the high-demand California market.

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

Power Picture (see text)