As electrical woes begin to spring up all over thenation due to the increasing summer heat, local electric officialsare trying to prevent problems in this area.

“We began working on a plan last July after we hadrolling outages in Brookhaven because of a heat wave,” saidEntergy’s Customer Service Manager Jim Hedges.

A plan to prevent such outages had been in place, butwhen three aspects of the plan fell through on July 23, 1999,causing rolling outages in Brookhaven, electric company officialsrealized the plan needed to be upgraded.

Officials are confident the changes they have made willhelp steer Brookhaven away from the power problems that areoccurring in states such as California to NewHampshire.

The power outages have been caused by breakdowns atpower plants during incredibly hot weather with temperaturesreaching 103 degrees.

Some of the changes Entergy officials have made toensure continuous power supply to this area include buying powerfrom colder regions, re-opening some power plants and upgradingseveral plants.

When power plants in the southern region of the countryare unable to meet the increased demands for electricity during thesummer months, Entergy will be able to purchase power fromelectricity providers in the north, explained Hedges about one ofthe changes.

“Normally, southern utilities buy power from northernutilities in the summer because it’s cooler up there and they(northern suppliers) have a surplus of power in the summer,” hesaid.

The change occurred after a planned buy last year hadcomplications, which resulted in some of the difficulties July 23,1999.

The complications arose because the power was beingpurchased from a non-firm, which means the buyer does not have adefinite reserve on the power. When the deal fell through, Entergyofficials decided to buy only from firm companies, which meant thedeal would be more stable.

The process of buying power is a common one, saidHedges, adding that northern utilities often buy power in thewinter when residents use more electricity to keepwarm.

Another change that will help electric companies keep upwith the demand is the re-opening of six generating units in thesouthern region.

The units, which include a plant in Natchez, have beenshut down for several years, but due to the increasing demand itwas necessary for electric officials to open the plantsagain.

“There’s been like a 14 percent increase in the demandfor power over the past five years,” said Hedges.

Hedges said the increase can be attributed to a growingeconomy, increased reliance on computers and more appliances in thehome.

The re-opening of plants is not the only effort made byofficials to create more power in the south.

“We not only brought old units back, we also upgradedseveral plants and we modified plants so they would generate moreelectricity,” said Hedges.

Residents can also help prevent power outages caused bythe overwhelming demand in the summer.

“I would encourage people to conserve energy becausewe’re using a lot right now due to the extremely hot weather andlittle rain,” said Hedges.

Some tips for conserving energy include raising the airconditioner thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, usingenergy-efficient ceiling fans and portable fans to circulate air,turn air conditioning units off when out of town and closing inholes or cracks where cold air could escape.

Electric officials also advise residents to do laundry,wash dishes, bathe and mop floors in the late evening or earlymorning in order to decrease humidity.

Residents can also wash clothes in cold water, cook foodat the lowest possible setting and close blinds, drapes andcurtains so direct sunlight will not warm the house asmuch.