Boeing feels California power crisis January 24, 2001, 03:45 PM LOS ANGELES – The Boeing Company, the world's biggest aerospace company, said the power crisis in California is costing the company tens of millions of dollars because of rising costs for electricity. Seattle-based Boeing, Southern California's largest private employer, said it's being forced to cut shifts at some of plants in Huntington Beach, California, said Jim Albaugh, president of Boeing's space and communications uniBeach plants, where Boeing has its Delta rocket program, reduced work shifts to one a day from three, Boeing spokesman Walt Rice said.

The company expects the reduction to halve operating costs. Boeing also may move some shifts to Saturday, when power demand is at its lowest, Albaugh said.

Boeing has to pay premium rates when power demand is at certain levels, Albaugh said. Boeing employs about 4,000 people in Huntington Beach, California.

"These rates are really onerous," Albaugh said. "We've gone to the point that we've shut down shifts because it has cost so much. It has impacted Long Beach (California) to quite an extent and it's impacted Huntington Beach to quite an extent."

http://www.king5.com/localnews/aviationdetail.html?StoryID=12724

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), January 24, 2001