GARLAND, Texas, April 18, 2006 - Garland Power & Light (GP&L) complied with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas' (ERCOT) order for electric load reduction on Monday, April 17, by curtailing interruptible industrial customer load and implementing rolling blackouts in the GP&L service territory.

The record heat on Monday caused more demand on the state’s electric grid than the available power supply. ERCOT, the organization that manages the electric grid that covers most of the state, requires utilities to have load curtailment plans in place should demand exceed supply. GP&L and utilities statewide implemented their plans starting at 4 p.m. Monday.

The rolling blackouts meant that various neighborhoods remained without power for approximately 15 minutes during the course of the curtailment. Power demand was down on the grid by 6:15 p.m., so the curtailment was lifted at that time.

As GP&L prepared to implement the load curtailment plan, GP&L coordinated with city police, fire and emergency personnel to notify them that the plan would go into effect, and requested assistance in traffic management at key intersections. Power to hospitals and public safety entities remained on during the curtailment.

The amount of electricity produced yesterday was lower than what is available in the summer peak season because many generating units were offline for planned maintenance. Power generators take advantage of the typically milder weather in the spring to get units ready to run at top performance to meet summer electricity demands.

"The curtailment went according to plan," said Jim Harder, Director of Electric Utilities. "We're sorry for any inconveniences our customers may have experienced, and appreciate their patience as we helped to make sure the power grid remained stable."

Temperatures today are forecasted for the high 90s. Customers are asked to be mindful of their electricity use and to conserve when possible.