Californians asked to turn off holiday lights as power demand peaks LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Another Stage Two power emergency -- and a request for holiday lights to stay off in the early evening -- herald tough days ahead for the state's strained electricity grid.

``This is going to be another challenging week for the ISO,'' said Patrick Dorinson, spokesman for the California Independent System Operator, which runs the electricity system for about 75 percent of the state.

Monday's Stage Two emergency was the fifth in the past three weeks, and Southern California Edison officials urged electricity customers to delay turning on holiday lights until after 8 p.m.

A Stage Two emergency means the state is within 5 percent of running out of power. During Stage Two emergencies the ISO can call on customers that have voluntarily agreed to go off line when a power crunch hits. The next step, when reserves fall below 1.5 percent, is a Stage Three, which triggers rotating blackouts.

California has never endured a statewide Stage Three emergency. But Monday's peak demand of more than 34,000 megawatts was close to the wintertime record, and supplies could get even tighter with colder weather looming later in the week.

Part of the problem is that some power plants are out of commission while owners perform needed maintenance delayed because of summer power needs.

Estimates vary, meanwhile, as to how much holiday lights contribute to the problem. The ISO says the lights add about 1,000 megawatts of consumption statewide, whereas Edison figures the total for its 50,000-square-mile territory alone to be about 1,400 megawatts.

By comparison, one unit at a nuclear power plant produces about 1,000 megawatts of power, or enough to supply about one million homes.

Not all electricity consumers are affected by the shortages. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers, for instance, can switch on holiday lights without fear because the municipal utility, like others in the region that are not part of the ISO grid, has more than enough electricity to meet demand.

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 05, 2000