Sierra Pacific Power Company
Contact: Karen Foster
Phone: (775) 813-1893

For Immediate Release


On Saturday afternoon, July 17, 2004, Sierra Pacific Power Company ended its call for voluntary conservation of electricity by customers on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe.

The Waterfall Fire near Carson City, Nevada, threatened a 120,000 Volt electrical transmission line that serves the Incline Village area. Fire management officials, working with Sierra Pacific crews, had requested the line to be de-energized as a safety precaution. On Saturday, July 17, officials declared the area surrounding the 120,000 Volt line clear of fire danger, allowing Sierra Pacific to re-energize the transmission line.

During the request for conservation issued on July 16, customers were asked to refrain from using major appliances such as clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers in the late afternoon/early evening time period when electricity usage reaches its daily peak.

This was not an emergency, and no service interruptions or problems were experienced during this temporary situation. Electric service was delivered to the North Shore on alternate lines.

During the hot summer months, conserving energy is always a way to save on utility bills. Conservation tips are available on the Sierra Pacific website atwww.sierrapacific.com/conservation/. For other questions, contact Sierra Pacific's North Tahoe office at (530) 546-1700.