LAS VEGAS (AP) - Utility company NV Energy was urging customers in southern and northern Nevada to conserve energy between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Sunday to offset high demand amid record-breaking heat in the West.
The request from the utility powering Las Vegas, Reno, Sparks, Henderson and Elko followed a warning Sunday from the rural Valley Electric Association that rolling blackouts were possible in its service areas of Pahrump, Amargosa Valley and Beatty.
Nye County said in a statement that the utility, with an electric grid that is linked to California’s system, was warned by that state’s electric grid operator that demand would exceed supply without significant energy conservation measures.
Exceptionally high temperatures in California driving the highest power use of the year and transmission losses due to wildfires have cut into supplies.
In Nevada, the National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings throughout the state. The reported temperature at the Las Vegas airport was 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) Sunday afternoon and 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) at the Reno airport.
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