Sierra Pacific Power Company
Contact: Karl Walqust
Phone: (775) 834-3891

For Immediate Release

Sierra Pacific Power is asking electric customers to voluntarily reduce their use of electricity today from 11:45 a.m. until 8 p.m. The company has issued a yellow alert, signifying that the demand for electricity in the company's service area could exceed available supplies.

Today's forecasted demand for electricity is expected to peak at about 4 p.m. High temperatures have prompted exceptionally high demand for power throughout Sierra Pacific's northern Nevada / northeastern California service area. In addition, the company is currently experiencing mechanical problems at one of its power plants.

Customers are urged to turn off lights, to curtail their use of large electrical appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and electric clothes dryers. They should also turn off air conditioners or adjust the thermostats to higher temperature settings.

By voluntarily conserving electricity, you can help prevent the power supply shortage from developing into a red alert, a more severe condition, which will require rotating electrical outages.

For more information about the current status of the company's electric system, and additional tips on conserving electricity, visit Sierra Pacific's website at:

www.sierrapacific.com

The website has information about the company's Heads Up program which makes electric system information available to interested customers.