Mercury News, 7/3: Blackout hits Las Vegas

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Blackout hits Las Vegas as number 120 comes up 
And California calls its first power alert since May as the mercury soars. 
July 3, 2001 
From staff and news service reports 
Las Vegas suffered its first rolling blackout ever Monday as soaring 
temperatures and churning air conditioners outstripped the local utility's 
ability to provide electricity. 
Nevada Power Co. cut about 100 megawatts, or enough electricity for 75,000 
homes, for about an hour. 
Scattered outages were reported around the Las Vegas area, where temperatures 
reached 120 degrees. Earlier, the utility asked its major power users, 
including the neon-lit resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, for voluntary 
reductions. Casinos instituted conservation measures largely not noticeable 
by guests. 
Meanwhile, in California, high temperatures led the Independent System 
Operator to declare an emergency alert for the first time since May 31. 
A Stage 1 alert was called at 1:35 p.m. as reserves fell below 7 percent of 
demand. The alert was upgraded to a Stage 2 at 2:40 p.m., meaning reserves 
fell below 5 percent. 
The alert didn't trigger new wholesale price limits under a system recently 
ordered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Under the FERC rules, a 
Stage 1 alert must be in effect for a full clock hour (i.e., 2 to 3 p.m.) to 
reset the caps, said Stephanie McCorkle, a spokeswoman for the ISO. Since the 
Stage 1 was upgraded to Stage 2 before a clock hour passed, that condition 
was not met, she said. The cap, designed to prevent price spikes, remains at 
$92 a megawatt-hour.